Loop 353 is a
loop route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the Int ...
in the
U.S. state of
Texas that follows a former route of
U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) in
San Antonio. Loop 353 follows New Laredo Highway from
Interstate 35 (I-35) on the southwest side of San Antonio towards the northeast and follows Nogalitos Street before ending at another point on I-35 just southwest of Downtown San Antonio. The road is still a major arterial for the city, providing access to
Kelly USA
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
.
History
Loop 353 follows the original routing of
US 81 on the southwest side of
San Antonio.
US 81 was first designated along this stretch in 1927 and is the basis of the naming of the road Laredo Highway due to US 81 passing through
Laredo southwest of San Antonio.
On September 19, 1961, when US 81 was rerouted onto the freeway to the east, the old segment was designated as Loop 353, but signed as Business US 81, until its decommissioning, which then became Loop 353 only, plus renaming the street New Laredo Highway.
Loop 353 was proposed for decommissioning as part of TxDOT's San Antonio turnback proposal, which would have turned back over 129 miles of roadway to the city of San Antonio, but the city rejected that proposal.
Route description
Loop 353 begins on the southwest side of
San Antonio at
I-35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
just northeast of
I-410
Interstate 410 (abbreviated I-410, and colloquially called Loop 410) is a loop route of I-10 around San Antonio, Texas. It is identified as Connally Loop in honor of former Texas Governor John Connally.
Route description
I-410 ci ...
interchange. The loop heads northeast along New Laredo Highway, roughly paralleling the interstate for its entire routing. The road continues towards the northeast, intersecting
Loop 13 (Military Drive). The highway is the southeast boundary and provides access to
Kelly USA
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
, the former
Kelly Air Force Base
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
. At an intersection with Zarzamora Street, the street name changes to Nogalitos Street. The highway continues to the northeast and has a junction with
US 90 just prior to its northern terminus at
I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
and I-35.
Junction list
References
{{reflist
353
__NOTOC__
Year 353 ( CCCLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magnentius and Decentius (or, less frequently, year 110 ...
Transportation in San Antonio
Transportation in Bexar County, Texas
U.S. Route 81