State Highway Loop 343 marker

State Highway Loop 343

Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length5.186 mi[1] (8.346 km)
Existed1961–present
Major junctions
South end US 290 / SH 71
East end I-35
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
Highway system
← Spur 342→ Loop 344

Loop 343 is a 5.186-mile (8.346 km) state-maintained roadway located in Austin, Texas.

History

Loop 343 was formed on May 30, 1961 along the previous routes of SH 71 and US 290 as those roads were realigned. It passed through downtown Austin along 6th and 7th Streets to Lamar Boulevard.

It was rerouted on February 25, 1977 to use 1st Street (now Cesar Chavez Street) west of I-35. On November 10, 1986, the portion east of I-35 was removed from state maintenance, forming the current alignment.[1]

Between 1978 and 2008, a segment of Cesar Chavez Street in downtown Austin was one-way eastbound. Westbound traffic on Loop 343 was diverted to Second and Third Streets before merging back onto Cesar Chavez Street at . In 2008, as part of a larger public works project, the City of Austin converted Cesar Chavez Street back to two-way traffic along its entire length.[2]

Route description

Loop 343 begins in south Austin at the intersection of US 290/SH 71 and the southern terminus of Loop 360. It proceeds north along Lamar Boulevard for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) towards downtown Austin. Here, it crosses Lady Bird Lake on the Lamar Boulevard Bridge. This segment of Loop 343 is a four-lane heavily-developed urban road.

Loop 343 (Lamar Boulevard) crossing Town Lake

At this point, Loop 343 heads east along Cesar Chavez Street for 1.6 miles (2.6 km), past Austin City Hall and the Austin Convention Center, to its terminus at I-35. This segment of Loop 343 is a four-lane downtown road.

Junction list

The entire route is in Austin, Travis County.

[3]

mikmDestinationsNotes
US 290 / SH 71 / Loop 360
I-35
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Loop No. 343". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation.
  2. ↑ "Cesar Chavez St. to go both ways". Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  3. ↑ Google Maps, "Google Maps". Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
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