| State Highway Loop 49 | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Length: | 7.013 mi[1] (11.29 km) Approximately 45 mi upon completion |
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| Existed: | 1986 (first segment opened 2006) – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| CW end: | SH 155 | |||
| US 69 | ||||
| CCW end: | FM 756 | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Highways in Texas
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Loop 49 (also called Toll 49) is a tollway that will, along with the existing Interstate 20, encircle the city of Tyler, Texas upon completion.
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Plans for Loop 49 have been in the works for 30 years, with the original plans calling for a freeway to be built. However, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) determined that funds to build the freeway were not available, and that the road could not be built until 2033. In response, the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) chose to build the highway as a tollway with an electronic toll system.
Construction began in August 2003 on the first 5-mile (8.0 km) segment (called Segment 1) extending east from SH 155 (Frankston Hwy) in Noonday to US 69 (Broadway Ave) in south Tyler. The road is a two-lane undivided highway, which will ultimately be expanded to a four lane divided highway. Grand opening of Loop 49 took place on August 17, 2006[2]. Tolling began on November 27, 2006.
Segment 2, which extends approximately 2.0 miles (3.2 km) from US 69 east to FM 756 (Paluxy Dr), opened to traffic January 7, 2008.
| County | Location | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith | Tyler | FM 756 (Paluxy Drive) – Tyler | Counter-clockwise exit and clockwise exit; current east end of Loop 49 |
| US 69 – Jacksonville, Tyler | |||
| FM 2493 / County Road 165 – Tyler | |||
| Jonestown Road (County Road 1204) | Counter-clockwise exit and clockwise entrance | ||
| SH 155 – Palestine, Tyler | Clockwise exit and counter-clockwise entrance; current west end of Loop 49 |
Segment 3A was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission as a stimulus project on March 5, 2009, making it eligible for $37.8 million in federal stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009[3]. TxDOT awarded a $37.9 million construction contract for the 5.9-mile (9.5 km) segment on June 10, 2009, and construction began in August[4].
Funding for Segment 5, which extends from FM 756 to SH 110 in Whitehouse, comes from Proposition 14 highway bonds, approved by Texas voters in 2003. The contract for construction of the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) segment was awarded in December 2009, with construction beginning in February 2010[5].
In an effort to speed completion of the west side of Loop 49 and connect it to Interstate 20, the NET RMA approved a plan in August 2009 to develop Segment 3B, the longest section of the toll road at 9.7 miles (15.6 km), using a nontraditional "design/build" process[6]. On October 28, 2010, the Texas Transportation Commission approved up to $90 million for the construction of Segment 3B through State Infrastructure Bank loans and a toll equity loan[7]. Construction on Segment 3B began on January 21, 2011, and is estimated to be completed by December 2012.[8].
Loop 49 is divided into segments scheduled to open in phases:
| Segment | Length | From | To | Cost | Status | Scheduled Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.0 mi (8.0 km) | SH 155 (Frankston Hwy) | US 69 (Broadway Ave) | $23,225,251.24 | Open | Aug 17, 2006 |
| 2 | 2.0 mi (3.2 km) | US 69 (Broadway Ave) | FM 756 (Paluxy Dr) | $15,783,866.69 | Open | Jan 7, 2008 |
| 3A | 5.9 mi (9.5 km) | SH 155 (Frankston Hwy) | SH 31 (Chandler Hwy) | $37,870,805.06 | Construction | November 2012 |
| 3B | 10.4 mi (16.7 km) | SH 31 (Chandler Hwy) | Interstate 20 | $80,240,000 est. | Construction | December 2012 |
| 4 | 6.0 mi (9.7 km) | Interstate 20 | US 69 (Mineola Hwy) | Unknown | Corridor Study | Late 2014 |
| 5 | 2.6 mi (4.2 km) | FM 756 (Paluxy Dr) | SH 110 (Troup Hwy) | $19,762,950 est. | Construction | March 2012 |
| 6 | 19.2 mi (30.9 km) | SH 110 (Troup Hwy) | Interstate 20 | Unknown | Conceptual Planning | Dec 2015 |
| 6A | 6.5 mi (10.5 km) | FM 850 | US 271 (Gladewater Hwy) | Unknown | Conceptual Planning | Dec 2017 |
Loop 49 is the first part of the East Texas Hourglass, a major network of tollways and freeways designed to ease congestion and provide faster connections between the cities of Tyler, Longview, and Marshall in East Texas. All East Texas Hourglass roads will be controlled-access roads, adhering to Interstate highway standards. The East Texas Hourglass is the first major project of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA), which was established in 2004.
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