Apologies if this has been discussed before. I'm driving through Waco on the way to Austin on Friday afternoon. Is there an effective route that will help me avoid some of the construction pain or is it just shut up and take my medicine?

You can take 340 instead of 35, but I'd check day of because it's about a 50/50 chance 35 will be quicker on Friday afternoons.

CorsicanaBear said:

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They have changed the signs starting at about 19th street going north on 35 and just north of Bellmead going south. They now read:


Abandon hope all ye who enter.

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Yep, TSTC to Hewitt takes me anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour depending on the Friday.

Loop 340 is really only alternative but is just as bad now since all 18 wheelers use the 1/2 lane highway now.

In a perfect world, Loop 340 would be the ticket to our avoiding the mess on I-35.

TxDOT has had the Loop 340 ROW for a full freeway through the Bellmead area since 1960, but MPO just never seems to want to spend much money on that side of town. Imagine that.

I figure they'll let everybody suffer through the I-35 rebuild and then continue to deprive our area (and the region) of a serviceable loop around Waco. After all, we need overpasses on the road to McGregor.

Since you asked for tips (and not my unsolicited commentary), I might suggest that since you're headed southbound that you exit I-35 for Craven Avenue (Lacy Lakeview), go under I-35 to Air Base Road, and sail right up to rejoin Loop 340 at Highway 84. That way you miss the awfulness that is I-35 and North Loop 340 intersection. You'll still have traffic lights at Bellmead Drive, Williams Road, Orchard Lane and Highway 6, but such is life.

Eleven-League Grant said:

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In a perfect world, Loop 340 would be the ticket to our avoiding the mess on I-35.

TxDOT has had the Loop 340 ROW for a full freeway through the Bellmead area since 1960, but MPO just never seems to want to spend much money on that side of town. Imagine that.

I figure they'll let everybody suffer through the I-35 rebuild and then continue to deprive our area (and the region) of a serviceable loop around Waco. After all, we need overpasses on the road to McGregor.

Since you asked for tips (and not my unsolicited commentary), I might suggest that since you're headed southbound that you exit I-35 for Craven Avenue (Lacy Lakeview), go under I-35 to Air Base Road, and sail right up to rejoin Loop 340 at Highway 84. That way you miss the awfulness that is I-35 and North Loop 340 intersection. You'll still have traffic lights at Bellmead Drive, Williams Road, Orchard Lane and Highway 6, but such is life.

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this but dont go under 35. U want to stay to the right when south bound. Going on airbase will take u to loop 340 in bellmead/bellmead drive. U can avoid all that by staying om Craven and take it to 77/old dallas highway. That will get u to 484 then loop on east side of Waco and hopefully miss most of the 340 conjestion when u get onto it

BUbearinARK said:

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maybe?

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The only way to travel

trey3216 said:

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IF you take the Dallas Hwy exit north of town, and run that road until it turns into 84, you can get through town fairly quickly. Even on a busy Friday afternoon you can make it happen in a little under 25-30 minutes.

PSA

Don't everyone do this though, can't have everyone clogging up my own bypass.

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Eh, I've done it a few times and timing those lights can be a PITA. I'd almost rather be crawling on 35.

BaylorHistory said:

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trey3216 said:

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IF you take the Dallas Hwy exit north of town, and run that road until it turns into 84, you can get through town fairly quickly. Even on a busy Friday afternoon you can make it happen in a little under 25-30 minutes.

PSA

Don't everyone do this though, can't have everyone clogging up my own bypass.

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Eh, I've done it a few times and timing those lights can be a PITA. I'd almost rather be crawling on 35.

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There are plenty of other side streets to make it happen. Franklin is actually better than Waco Dr. just gotta pick the best route to get to Franklin heading south.

trey3216 said:

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BaylorHistory said:

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trey3216 said:

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IF you take the Dallas Hwy exit north of town, and run that road until it turns into 84, you can get through town fairly quickly. Even on a busy Friday afternoon you can make it happen in a little under 25-30 minutes.

PSA

Don't everyone do this though, can't have everyone clogging up my own bypass.

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Eh, I've done it a few times and timing those lights can be a PITA. I'd almost rather be crawling on 35.

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There are plenty of other side streets to make it happen. Franklin is actually better than Waco Dr. just gotta pick the best route to get to Franklin heading south.

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And more scenic, imo. Might as well see what's happening.

trey3216 said:

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IF you take the Dallas Hwy exit north of town, and run that road until it turns into 84, you can get through town fairly quickly. Even on a busy Friday afternoon you can make it happen in a little under 25-30 minutes.

PSA

Don't everyone do this though, can't have everyone clogging up my own bypass.

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This is the bypass I have been using since moving to woodway and driving back from dallas from work a few times a month and its looking clogged on the apps

Sounds like it would be just as quick to take Mockingbird to Love Field, get on SWA, fly to Austin, then Uber to wherever. Or not.

Eleven-League Grant said:

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In a perfect world, Loop 340 would be the ticket to our avoiding the mess on I-35.

TxDOT has had the Loop 340 ROW for a full freeway through the Bellmead area since 1960, but MPO just never seems to want to spend much money on that side of town. Imagine that.

I figure they'll let everybody suffer through the I-35 rebuild and then continue to deprive our area (and the region) of a serviceable loop around Waco. After all, we need overpasses on the road to McGregor.

.

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I thought it was dumb that they didn't try just turning 340 into a legitimate by-pass first. It's not that much longer so it would be easy for trucks, for instance, to just swing around the loop and keep going.

I assume there's someone on the I-35 corridor who has enough money to make sure no one decides to fix the loop.

Looks like it was worry for nothing. 10 minutes through town with no issues. It looked clear-ish on Waze so I took the chance. Thanks for all the ideas though.

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I thought it was dumb that they didn't try just turning 340 into a legitimate by-pass first.

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I've heard that quite a bit from out-of-towners, and from some locals.

That said, it will be quite a challenge, I think, to construct the flyover and looped exits needed to do the same type of interchange that we now see where South Loop 340 crosses I-35 adjacent to the Central Texas Marketplace. TxDOT will need more ROW at that intersection and will be buying some existing businesses when that happens.

I always thought an easier and cheaper interchange on the North side would be to build it to follow Air Base Road, and merge it into Loop 340 around Highway 84/Bellmead Drive.

Other than the interchange itself, though, Loop 340 should have been 4-lane divided long ago. See Lake Shore between Gholson Road and MLK, for example. Somehow that project got funded many, many years ago, I suppose to support our 'heavy' airport traffic?

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I assume there's someone on the I-35 corridor who has enough money to make sure no one decides to fix the loop.

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It's no secret (nor do I blame them) that Baylor values I-35 traffic as being a 'window' to showcase the University and also McLane Stadium. Heavy truck traffic on I-35 is probably not their target market, but a functional Loop 340 would divert both truck and passenger traffic, I suspect.

I think most would agree that they've done a nice job over the last 20 years of removing the commercial businesses between the University and the Interstate to help support their showcasing.

Moreover, Waco city leaders are riding the Magnolia horse as fast and as hard as they can. They want I-35 traffic. Plain and simple.

The question is whether TxDOT will finally decide that the transportation needs of the region outweigh the unstated goals of the local MPO, and finds funding somewhere. If that happens, Loop 340 will happen.

In addition to being a bypass for I-35 traffic traveling through Waco, East Loop 340 is now accommodating a heavy amount of traffic from State Highway 6 originating in NW Houston and BCS and traveling to Ft. Worth and the more southern parts of the Metroplex. That includes quite a bit of oversized commercial traffic, the kind which really struggles navigating East Loop 340.

I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

Bearicade said:

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I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

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My guess is because of the 3 Bellmead schools along or near the route. Without building at least 1 new overpass, school zone hours would have wreaked havoc on traffic flow. Not that the I-35 work hasn't done the same. In a forward-looking city, the current project would have been completed at least 10, if not 20, years ago. Not saying another update wouldn't have been needed between then and now.

canoso said:

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Bearicade said:

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I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

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My guess is because of the 3 Bellmead schools along or near the route. Without building at least 1 new overpass, school zone hours would have wreaked havoc on traffic flow.

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That's certainly correct concerning the need for at least 1 new overpass.

Actually, the plans that have already been drawn up and presented to the public show overpasses at Highway 6 (3-level), FM 2491 (road to Elk), and Orchard Lane, and include 2 main lanes in each direction (divided) plus a service road on each side that would handle the school traffic.

The Orchard Lane overpass would isolate through traffic from the La Vega Junior High School traffic, and while there is no planned overpass at Williams Road (La Vega Intermediate School), the highway would be divided with service roads so through traffic on the main lanes would not encounter the adjacent school zone.

East Loop 340 Planned Improvements

OTOH, nothing has yet been presented to deal with the mess between I-35 and US 84 (Bellmead Drive), which is the site of La Vega High School. That's going to be tough to conquer without a ton of will and money. But hey, anybody remember the Dallas Central Expressway project? It's amazing what can been done when $$$ are thrown at a project!

Eleven-League Grant said:

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canoso said:

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Bearicade said:

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I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

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My guess is because of the 3 Bellmead schools along or near the route. Without building at least 1 new overpass, school zone hours would have wreaked havoc on traffic flow.

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That's certainly correct concerning the need for at least 1 new overpass.

Actually, the plans that have already been drawn up and presented to the public show overpasses at Highway 6 (3-level), FM 2491 (road to Elk), and Orchard Lane, and include 2 main lanes in each direction (divided) plus a service road on each side that would handle the school traffic.

The Orchard Lane overpass would isolate through traffic from the La Vega Junior High School traffic, and while there is no planned overpass at Williams Road (La Vega Intermediate School), the highway would be divided with service roads so through traffic on the main lanes would not encounter the adjacent school zone.

East Loop 340 Planned Improvements

OTOH, nothing has yet been presented to deal with the mess between I-35 and US 84 (Bellmead Drive), which is the site of La Vega High School. That's going to be tough to conquer without a ton of will and money. But hey, anybody remember the Dallas Central Expressway project? It's amazing what can been done when $$$ are thrown at a project!

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Very informative!

La Vega High school is on N loop 340 between I-35 and 84(Bellmead dr)...

Loop 340 is pretty annoying as-is. Here are my gripes, roughly heading east-west starting with the southern portion:

- Despite the big reconstruction 10-15 years ago with those huge ramps, you can't take Loop 340 west to I-35 north directly, you have to go through the New Road stoplight
- Speed limit is pretty low, it's 60 mph at best (I believe), slower around the Highway 6 interchange
- Stoplight at Highway 6
- No direct connection from Highway 6 to Loop 340 without exiting and turning left through stoplights (it IS Highway 6 after all)
- Two way north of Highway 6, during peak traffic hours, traffic can get start slowing down over a mile from the stoplight (even the static Google Maps image shows this as of this writing)
- Two more stoplights and a school speed limit further slow traffic

The whole thing from Speegleville Road to New Dallas Road needs a major reconstruction that builds on the back of the 2000s improvements.

canoso said:

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Bearicade said:

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I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

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My guess is because of the 3 Bellmead schools along or near the route. Without building at least 1 new overpass, school zone hours would have wreaked havoc on traffic flow. Not that the I-35 work hasn't done the same. In a forward-looking city, the current project would have been completed at least 10, if not 20, years ago. Not saying another update wouldn't have been needed between then and now.

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It's all about money. IH 35 is priority for obvious reasons.

Bearicade said:

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I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

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That would require common sense in the bureaucracy of TxDOT. Non-existent.

BUbearinARK said:

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maybe?

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My Dad would like that! He was in the Air Force for 22+ years and loved everything to do with flying.

Also, reminds me of James Bond's "Little Nellie":

Bearicade said:

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I don't know why they didn't expand 340 to four lanes all the way through prior to I35 work.

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Too many aggies at txdot.

Pseudo3D said:

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Loop 340 is pretty annoying as-is. Here are my gripes, roughly heading east-west starting with the southern portion:

- Despite the big reconstruction 10-15 years ago with those huge ramps, you can't take Loop 340 west to I-35 north directly, you have to go through the New Road stoplight
- Speed limit is pretty low, it's 60 mph at best (I believe), slower around the Highway 6 interchange
- Stoplight at Highway 6
- No direct connection from Highway 6 to Loop 340 without exiting and turning left through stoplights (it IS Highway 6 after all)
- Two way north of Highway 6, during peak traffic hours, traffic can get start slowing down over a mile from the stoplight (even the static Google Maps image shows this as of this writing)
- Two more stoplights and a school speed limit further slow traffic

The whole thing from Speegleville Road to New Dallas Road needs a major reconstruction that builds on the back of the 2000s improvements.

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Some of that will never happen because there's too much need for expansion in Texas communities that are growing at a faster pace than Waco.

I agree on the westbound 340 to north 35 connector. That's awful. At least build a braided a ramp in there so that you don't have to travel through a major intersection 2 miles down the road just to get on 35.

The greatest need for a direct connector would be southbound 35 to westbound 340. That makes the most sense, and you could incorporate existing infrastructure in building the ramp.

I just don't see it happening. Central Texas Marketplace and Cottonwood Market are not going to want to be bypassed.

I dont believe that is even true. I admit it is confusing travelling west toward the 340/I35 interchange to figure out what exit to take. But you can get on N or South bound 35 from both directions of 340 going without hitting any lights. If you miss your exit traveling west toward the interchange you will have to take the next exit to the mall and hit lights to turn around to get back toward 35. It is much easier to get on 35 travelling east on 340 toward 35.

PartyBear said:

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I dont believe that is even true. I admit it is confusing travelling west toward the 340/I35 interchange to figure out what exit to take. But you can get on N or South bound 35 from both directions of 340 going without hitting any lights. If you miss your exit traveling west toward the interchange you will have to take the next exit to the mall and hit lights to turn around to get back toward 35. It is much easier to get on 35 travelling east on 340 toward 35.

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To get on I-35 Northbound from Loop 340 Westbound, you have to take the exit and go through the I-35/New Road traffic light, which can take 3 cycles if it's the wrong time of day. There is no on ramp directly to I-35 N. Sometimes, it's faster to go down and take the before Industrial, U-turn, and get on the Eastbound 340 flyover to I-35 N than it is to get stuck at that New Road intersection.

trey3216 said:

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PartyBear said:

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I dont believe that is even true. I admit it is confusing travelling west toward the 340/I35 interchange to figure out what exit to take. But you can get on N or South bound 35 from both directions of 340 going without hitting any lights. If you miss your exit traveling west toward the interchange you will have to take the next exit to the mall and hit lights to turn around to get back toward 35. It is much easier to get on 35 travelling east on 340 toward 35.

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To get on I-35 Northbound from Loop 340 Westbound, you have to take the exit and go through the I-35/New Road traffic light, which can take 3 cycles if it's the wrong time of day. There is no on ramp directly to I-35 N. Sometimes, it's faster to go down and take the before Industrial, U-turn, and get on the Eastbound 340 flyover to I-35 N than it is to get stuck at that New Road intersection.

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I see what y'all are talking about now. Yes that is true down there. I was thinking there was an on ramp before that and y'all were talking about a light by the Market place.