Business Loop 35 in Laredo

[roadman65]

Business Loop Spur in Laredo Texas seems to follow the route of the old US 81 which terminated at the Gateway Bridge into Mexico.  However, wiki writes that BL I-35 actually does a loop as once at the Bridge it loops back up Convent Street and then east on Matamoras Street to end at US 83.

Now I would think that Convent and Matamoras Streets carry BL 35 N Bound from Mexico to either continue north on San Bernardo to its northern terminus or continue one block further east and turn left for the interstate NB  or stay straight for US 83 S B.  I am guessing that is an error as it would make no sense to actually have a real loop at its end to end elsewhere.  Also the fact that it is signed as a Loop rather then the Spur it should be is an error by AASHTO unless I-35 someday will end at the other International Bridge by using the greenway that lies between the freeway and the border crossing.

Anyway, interesting find on wiki unless our very own master troll on here decides to change it just to be a prick as he does have access to wiki and has written many of the articles on it.

[wxfree]

This is very interesting.  The description on Wikipedia is as described in the designation file, although the original minute order is a little different.  The route appears to have five end-points.  I'll describe.

Business US 83 K (which had until shortly before officially been Loop 420) had run along San Bernardo Ave. from I-35 to US 81 on Houston St.  This was made part of BI 35 A.  US 81 was cancelled south of its junction with I-35W.  Its former route in Laredo was developed into a one-way route along Houston St. from US 83 (the San Dario-Santa Ursula couplet) westward to Salinas Ave. and southward to the port-of-entry.  From the port-of-entry it runs northward along Convent Ave. and eastward along Matamoros St. back to US 83.  This was also made part of BI 35 A.

This description makes part of the route a one-way highway.  Generally a highway running from Point A to Point B carries traffic in both directions.  A portion of this highway carries traffic from US 83 back to US 83 a block to the south in a one-way loop.  This is not a couplet, which would simply run from US 83 to the port-of-entry along two sets of streets, but a full loop that runs to the port and back in only one direction.  It's an interesting distinction.  It's also interesting that it's a broken loop.  It is not possible to run the route continuously.  The loop goes to the entrance to the port-of-entry and then "emerges" from its exit at a different location a block away.

It's again interesting that the loop has five end-points.  They are: (1) San Bernardo Ave. at I-35 (2) Salinas Ave. at the entrance (3) Convent Ave. at the exit (4) Houston St. at US 83 and (5) Matamoros St. at US 83.  Even if we disregard the break at the port-of-entry as a special circumstance, it still has three end-points, numbers 1, 4, and 5 listed above.  And even if we view the loop as a couplet, it still has three end-points: I-35, the port-of-entry, and US 83.

Here's the minute order

http://publiccm.txdot.gov/minord/MinuteOrderDocLib/003684914.pdf

This could be called a "loop-and-spur," but I wouldn't want to advocate for mainstreaming this arrangement.

[roadman65]

What is more confusing is that TexDOT seems to consider the one way couplet between the I-35 freeway terminus and the Bridge No. 2 as I-35 proper.

Now judging from the fact it is not mentioned among I-70, I-78, I-180 (WY), and I-676; that this is not one of those cases where an interstate is routed on a surface street like those others here.

I believe the uncertainty of the end points has to do with the change in routing of US 81 as it originally was on San Pedro then moved onto the freeway when I-35 was constructed thus when it was moved US 81 turned right on Houston and then made its way to Bridge No 1.  However the loop back from the point of entry is uncertain as it should really be a north beginning and not an invisible continuation.