FLYOVER FROM EB LOOP 1604 TO WB I-10 NOW OPEN! More info here. |
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This page last updated February 10, 2024 |
If you look at a road map of South-Central Texas for a few minutes, you may soon notice that, in addition to Loops 410 and 1604, San Antonio has yet another, albeit unofficial, loop. This outer-outer loop is formed by parts of State Highways 16, 97, 123, and 173 and all of SH 46. The roughly 222 mile ring, about 30-40 miles from downtown San Antonio, connects the towns of Boerne, Bulverde, New Braunfels, Seguin, Stockdale, Floresville, Pleasanton, Jourdanton, Devine, Hondo, and Bandera. The areas along the northern arc of this route are rapidly growing as San Antonio's exurbs continue to push northward, and some local residents have begun to discuss the need for a possible third loop around San Antonio. While there are no official plans currently in the works to officially designate a third loop, "The Circuit" has emerged as a possible moniker for this ad-hoc beltway.
The majority of the route consists of two-lane rural roads. With San Antonio's northward growth, SH 46 is currently the focus of nearly all of the recent and planned major expansion projects, with the exception being a long-range plan to expand SH 123 south of Seguin. In 2006, TxDOT announced plans to widen SH 46 between Bulverde and New Braunfels, and work was completed in 2011 to widen the road to seven lanes between Loop 337 and FM 2722 in western New Braunfels, including an overpass at FM 2722. During the past decade, passing lanes have been added between Boerne and New Braunfels. A widening project on SH 46 on the east side of Boerne was completed in 2021. An expansion project on SH 46/Loop 337 in New Braunfels was completed in 2022. The SH 46 overpass at I‑10 in Boerne was widened in 2023 as part of a project to improve I‑10 in the vicinity.
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In 2015, with growth accelerating in the SH 46 corridor, TxDOT, in conjunction with the cities of New Braunfels and Seguin and Guadalupe and Comal counties, began a study for the next generation of improvements. The proposed plan was presented in January 2023 and would upgrade SH 46 to a freeway from Business 46 in New Braunfels to FM 78 in Seguin. In Comal County, the freeway would be elevated over the existing road in order to minimize the impact to the adjacent developed properties. In Guadalupe County, where there is room to acquire additional right-of-way, the new road would be a typical, at-grade freeway. Direct-connector flyovers would be built from westbound SH 46 to southbound I‑35, and from northbound I‑35 to eastbound SH 46. A future project along I‑10 in Seguin would build direct connectors from westbound I‑10 to westbound SH 46 and from eastbound SH 46 to eastbound I‑10.
This project is still in the preliminary planning phase and is not currently funded. Environmental approval, funding, detailed design, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocation still must occur before construction can start. The absolute earliest that could happen is 2025, but a timeline closer to 2030 is more plausible.