Loop 368 is a state highway loop in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

that follows a former route of

US 81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Stat ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. in length, the route is a major arterial in the city, providing access to

Brackenridge Park Brackenridge Park is a 343-acre public park in San Antonio, Texas, USA, on the city's Broadway Corridor just north of downtown San Antonio. Brackenridge Park also refers to the district of the city where the park is located. History It was c ...

, the

San Antonio Zoo The San Antonio Zoo is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo in Midtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is located in the city's Brackenridge Park. San Antonio Zoo is a 50+ acre zoo home to over 750 species, some of whic ...

, and the

University of the Incarnate Word The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a private, Catholic university with its main campus in San Antonio and Alamo Heights, Texas. Founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the university's main campus is located o ...

Route description

Loop 368 begins northeast of Downtown San Antonio at I-35 near that route's interchange with I-37 and

US 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at t ...

. It heads northeast along Broadway through Midtown San Antonio, and through the cities of Alamo Heights and

Terrell Hills Terrell Hills is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States; it is located northeast of downtown San Antonio. As of the 2020 census Terrell Hills had a population of 5,045. It is part of a group of three cities—Terrell Hills, Alamo Heights, ...

. At an intersection with Austin Highway, Loop 368 turns onto that roadway. The highway continues to the northeast to its northern terminus at the interchange of I-35 and I-410.

History

Loop 368 follows the original routing of

on the northeast side of

. US 81 was first designated along this stretch in 1927 and is the basis of the name Austin Highway, as US 81 was the primary route from San Antonio to Austin at the time. On August 1, 1962, when US 81 was rerouted onto the freeway to the east, the old segment was designated as Loop 368, but signed as Business U.S. 81. The route was signed as Loop 368 after US 81 was decommissioned south of Fort Worth in 1991. On December 18, 2014, the section from Burr Road in Alamo Heights to I-35 was planned to be removed from the state highway system as part of TxDOT's San Antonio turnback program, which gave of roads to the city. The original proposal would have turned back over to the city, and would have also decommissioned the section of Loop 368 from the

McNay Art Museum The McNay Art Museum, founded in 1954 in San Antonio, is the first modern art museum in the U.S. state of Texas. The museum was created by Marion Koogler McNay's original bequest of most of her fortune, her important art collection and her 24-room ...

entrance northeast of New Braunfels Avenue to I-35, but the city rejected that proposal. The turnback of the Burr Road to I-35 section was to have occurred upon the issuance of the project acceptance letter for the improvements along that section. However, on January 27, 2022, TxDOT announced that it would retain jurisdiction over that portion of Loop 368, noting that the city did not provide the required acceptance letter for the project. Under the leadership of mayor

Ron Nirenberg Ronald Adrian Nirenberg (born April 11, 1977) is an American politician who is the mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Prior to his election, Nirenberg served as a member of the San Antonio City Council for District 8 for two terms. In 2013, Nirenberg ...

, the city of San Antonio tried to add Protected bike lanes and narrowing the existing lanes on Broadway along with lowering the speed limits, but the

Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system ...

did not allow that. Nirenberg accused the state DoT of "1950s thinking" and having a "religious fascination" with highway expansion.

Junction list

References

{{reflist 368 Transportation in San Antonio Transportation in Bexar County, Texas U.S. Route 81