| State Highway Loop 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Length: | 25.698 mi[1] (41.357 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1967 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | SH 45 | |||
| US 290 SH 71 US 183 |
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| North end: | SH 45 | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Highways in Texas
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Loop 1 is a controlled-access highway which provides access to the west side of Austin in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named Mopac Expressway (or, according to some highway signs, Mopac Boulevard) after the Missouri Pacific Railroad (or "MoPac"). Local residents will invariably use the name "MoPac" rather than calling the road by its number[2][3] which can cause much confusion as few signs along the road use this name.[4][5]
The original section of the highway was built in the 1970s along the right-of-way of the Missouri Pacific Railroad (now owned by Union Pacific), with the railroad tracks running in the highway median between West 8th Street and Northland Drive. To the north, the tracks run along the east side of newer sections of the highway from Northland Drive to Braker Lane.
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The first mention of Loop 1 came to public record in 1929. In 1944, the C.M.A.C (City of Austin Planning Commission) proposed the highway be built in parts of under-utilized right of way owned by the MoPac railroad. The highway was eventually given the nickname "MoPac" for its proximity to the railroad. The number was originally used for Texas State Highway Spur 1 designated by 1939 from US 90 to the Uvalde fish hatchery. This route was cancelled in 1943. In 1958, a new route was designated, also called Spur 1, from US 80A to IH 10. This route became Loop 16 in 1964.[1] Loop 1 was first designated in October 1967 from U.S. Highway 290 (US 290) northward to Farm to Market Road 1325 (FM 1325). In October 1985, the designation was extended southward from US 290 to SH 45.[1] In the year 1982 construction on the highway was completed from Research Boulevard to Texas State Highway Loop 360. This northern extension of Loop 1 started construction in 1986 and completed 3 years later in 1989. The southern extension of Loop 1 from US 290 to the southern leg of SH-45 was completed in 1994, and the northern side Loop 1 was extended three miles to the northern leg of SH-45 in 2006.[6]. The MoPac 1 Project will study feasibility of managed lanes for Loop 1, and included in the Mobility 2030 Plan that was adopted by CAMPO in June 2005.[7]
Loop 1's southern terminus is at the beginning of the State Highway 45 stub south of Austin. It passes through the Circle C Ranch housing development and the Edwards Aquifer and intersects SH 71/US 290 (Ben White Boulevard) and Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway). It crosses the Colorado River near downtown Austin, then running parallel to the Balcones Fault and the Missouri-Pacific Railroad before intersects US 183 (Research Boulevard) northwest of downtown. Loop 1 travels concurrently with Farm to Market Road 1325 for several miles before the non-tolled freeway ends at Parmer Lane, spanning a distance of 22.061 miles (35.504 km).
North of Parmer Lane, Loop 1 continues as a limited-access toll road to the SH 45 North/Loop 1 interchange, spanning 3 miles (4.8 km). Frontage roads flank either side of the toll road to Shoreline Drive.
The Texas Department of Transportation completed construction of the tollway as part of the 2002 Central Texas Turnpike Project (CTTP). SH 45 North, also part of the project, provides freeway access to Interstate 35 from Loop 1. The 2002 CTTP was scheduled to be completed in September 2007. However, certain sections of the project, including Loop 1 opened early and more than $100 Million under budget.
If and when SH 45 is completed to the south of Austin, Loop 1 will effectively serve as a true loop to the west of the city, being directly connected to SH 45, and indirectly to I-35, at both ends.
Since 1994, TxDOT has proposed the addition of managed lanes to portions of Loop 1. The MoPac Improvement Project[8] was relaunched in July 2010. In December 2010, four alternative proposals were presented to the public, each of which would add one or more lanes; the "no-build" alternative was also presented. The additions would not increase the right-of-way of the highway, but would be created by reducing the width of existing lanes and reducing and/or eliminating shoulders.
There are no mileposts associated with this highway.
| County | Location | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travis | Austin | SH 45 | |
| La Crosse Avenue | |||
| Slaughter Lane | |||
| South end of freeway | |||
| Davis Lane | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| William Cannon Drive | |||
| US 290 / SH 71 / Southwest Parkway – Johnson City, Llano, Sunset Valley | |||
| Frontage Road | Southbound exit only | ||
| Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) | Left hand exit | ||
| Barton Skyway | |||
| RM 2244 – West Lake Hills, Rollingwood | |||
| Cesar Chavez Street | |||
| 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard | |||
| Enfield Road | |||
| Windsor Road | |||
| Westover Road, Northwood Road | |||
| 35th Street | |||
| 45th Street | |||
| RM 2222 (Northland Drive) | |||
| Far West Boulevard | |||
| Anderson Lane, Spicewood Springs Road | Southbound exit is via Steck Avenue exit | ||
| Steck Avenue | |||
| (Frontage Road) | Unsigned exit | ||
| US 183 (Research Boulevard) | Southbound exit to US 183 north is via Capital of Texas Hwy | ||
| Capital of Texas Highway | To Loop 360 | ||
| Braker Lane | |||
| FM 1325 south (Burnet Road) / Duval Road | South end of FM 1325 overlap | ||
| Waters Park Road | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| FM 734 (Parmer Lane) | |||
| Scofield Ridge Parkway | Northbound exit and southbound entrance. Last free exit. | ||
| FM 1325 north / Wells Branch Parkway, Howard Lane | North end of FM 1325 overlap | ||
| Shoreline Drive | No southbound exit | ||
| Williamson | SH 45 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
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