Texas U-turn

A diagram of a Texas U-turn, also known as a Texas turnaround

A Texas U-turn, or Texas turnaround, or Loop Around, is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn onto the opposite frontage road (typically crossing over or under a freeway or expressway). These are typically controlled by a yield sign, allowing traffic to bypass the two traffic signals and avoid crossing the highway traffic at-grade.

Usage

This particular highway configuration originated (and is particularly common) in Texas,[1] especially in the El Paso, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio metropolitan areas, but can also be found in Atlanta, Georgia; Clearwater, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; Huntsville, Alabama; Lehi, Utah; North Little Rock, Arkansas; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Cleveland, Ohio; Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Provo, Utah; St. Louis, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wichita, Kansas; Peoria, Arizona;[2] and New York City.

It is also common in Michigan, where frontage roads travel along freeways. In some cases these are controlled by signals, and are similar to the Michigan left. They are also used less frequently in other areas of the world.

An unusual example of this configuration in the northeastern United States can be found at the Latham Circle, located in the hamlet of Latham, New York. Here, US Route 9 travels north-south underneath a roundabout carrying NY Route 2 east-west. In this case, the frontage roads are really the ramps which allow traffic from US Route 9 to connect to NY Route 2. These ramps are connected to two Texas U-turn ramps, which let motorists exiting adjacent businesses to travel in the opposite direction, and onto US Route 9.

Another example of this is in the Bronx, New York at Rosedale Avenue by the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) at exit 4B for motorists heading north on the Cross Bronx to turn and head back south or to connect to the northbound Bronx River Parkway without disturbing Rosedale Avenue. This is due to the nearby I-895 and East 177th Street not having direct connections to the Bronx River Parkway, which is also nearby.[3]

In Queens, also in New York City, there is a Texas U-turn at I-678 near northbound exit 14 (Linden Place). This is so motorists can get to the nearby shopping center located to the west of I-678.

In London examples can be found beneath the Hammersmith Flyover and also at the Hanger Lane gyratory.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Section 2.1
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Bronx River Parkway 40°50′10″N 73°52′13″W / 40.8360°N 73.8702°W – map

External links