1. Route description

2. History

3. Future

4. Exit list

5. See also

6. Further reading

7. References

• {{jct|state=TX|FM|16}} in Lindale
• {{jct|state=TX|I|20}} at Hideaway
• {{jct|state=TX|TX|64}} near Tyler
• {{jct|state=TX|TX|31}} in Tyler
• {{jct|state=TX|TX|155}} at Noonday
• {{jct|state=TX|US|69}} in Tyler

State Highway Loop 49 is a toll road in Smith County that wraps around the city of Tyler. When completed, it will form a beltway with I-20 around the city. Routing of the loop bypasses the north and west sides of Tyler, interconnecting suburban areas and areas of potential development with I-20 West of Tyler and providing easier access to the DFW area.

Currently, the route exists as a two-lane highway stretching from I-20 at Hideaway to SH 110 near Whitehouse. According to TxDOT, costs have exceeded $176 million, and the projected total cost for the completed, divided {{convert|45|mi|km|adj=on}} four-lane highway is still unknown. Contributions to the project in the Smith County Road and Bridge Fund along with general fund contributions by the end of fiscal 2013 are public information available on request.

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).

Route description

Loop 49 begins at an interchange with US 69 6.48 miles north of the interchange with I-20 at Hideaway and travels south to the western side of Tyler, where it interchanges with SH 64 and SH 31 near Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. Travelling south, Loop 49 interchanges with SH 155 at Noonday. Turning east, Loop 49 meets US 69 on the south side of Tyler, and proceeds to its current terminus with SH 110 near Whitehouse.

History

The route number was originally used for Spur 49 from SH 22 in Corsicana to the Corsicana State Orphans' home but was removed from the state highway system on August 4, 1966.

Plans to construct an outer loop around the city of Tyler, Texas began in the mid-1980s. The original plans called for a freeway to be built but Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) determined that there was a funding shortfall and the road would not likely be built until 2033 using traditional funding.^[2] In response, the NET RMA chose to build the highway as a tollway with an electronic toll system.

In August 2003, construction began on the first {{convert|5|mi|km|adj=on}} 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. The grand opening of Loop 49 took place on August 17, 2006.^[3] Tolling began on November 27, 2006. Construction then continued east, with Segment 2, which extends {{convert|2.0|mi|km}} from US 69 to FM 756 (Paluxy Dr), opening to traffic January 7, 2008. Due to a 2008 budget crisis at TxDOT,^[4] construction on additional sections of the tollway was delayed more than two years. In 2010, construction began on Segment 5, which extends {{convert|2.6|mi|km}} from FM 756 to SH 110 in Whitehouse. This section of the tollway, which was funded by Proposition 14 highway bonds, approved by Texas voters in 2003, opened to traffic June 28, 2012^[5] after nearly 29 months of construction,^[6] bringing the total length of the loop to {{convert|9.6|mi|km}}.

Construction on the western side of Loop 49 began with Segment 3A, which extends {{convert|5.9|mi|km}} from SH 155 (Frankston Hwy) to SH 31 (Chandler Hwy). This segment was constructed using federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, after the Texas Transportation Commission approved its status as a stimulus project on March 5, 2009.^[7] TxDOT awarded a $37.9 million construction contract three months later on June 10, and construction began in August.^[8] Segment 3A opened to traffic November 9, 2012,^[9] after approximately 39 months of construction. 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 {{convert|9.7|mi|km}}, using a nontraditional "design/build" process.^[10] 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.^[11] Construction on Segment 3B began on January 21, 2011,^[12] and the segment opened to traffic on March 28, 2013, completing the {{convert|26|mi|km|adj=on}} loop from I-20 to SH 110.

On February 28, 2013, the Texas Transportation Commission voted to transfer ownership and maintenance of Loop 49 from TxDOT to the NET RMA.^[13]

Segment 4, also known as the Lindale Relief Route, stretches from {{convert|6.7|mi|km}} from Interstate 20 to US 69, bypassing the city of Lindale. The environmental coordination stage of planning, with various state and federal approvals was completed and construction of Segment 4 started in 2016 and was completed and opened on November 7, 2018.^[14][15]

Future

Several future segments of Loop 49 are in preliminary planning stages, with no completion timeline currently scheduled. Segment 6 and Segment 6A are planned to complete the eastern portion of Loop 49, connecting SH 110 in Whitehouse to Interstate 20 near the Smith-Gregg County line, with a spur connecting back to US 271 at its intersection with SH 155 northeast of Tyler. These segments will contain approximately {{convert|26|mi|km}} of roadway and are in the conceptual planning phase, with no scheduled construction dates. Additional proposals also indicate the possibility of extending the tollway towards Longview and ending at US 59 north of Marshall, acting as an alternate route to I-20.^[16]

Exit list

See also

• Loop 323, the inner loop around Tyler, built in the 1950s.
• Tyler, Texas
• North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority

Further reading

• Adam Russell, "[https://tylerpaper.com/news/local/shortcuts-usage-of-toll-is-up-revenue-rises-as-rates/article_310b9cb5-9f3d-50a4-88d9-6de2dd44992a.html Shortcuts: Usage of Toll 49 is up; revenue rises as rates increase]", Tyler Morning Telegraph, August 9, 2014.

References

• KUDD-FM4
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• Kudelski SA
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• Kuder-Richardson Reliability Coefficient
• Kuder-Richardson reliability coefficient 20
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• Kudilji