Texas State Highway Loop 375

State Highway Loop 375
State Highway Loop 375
Route information
	Maintained by TxDOT
Length	49.21 mi (79.20 km)
Existed	1963–present
Major junctions
	Beltway around El Paso, TX
CCW end	I-10 / US 85 / US 180 near Canutillo
	US 54 near Fort Bliss; US 62 / US 180 in El Paso; I-10 in El Paso; US 54 in El Paso;
CW end	US 62 / US 85 in El Paso
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	El Paso
Highway system
	Highways in Texas; Interstate; US; State; Toll; Loops; Spurs; FM/RM; Park; Rec;

Loop 375 partially encircles the city of El Paso, Texas. Locally, it is known as Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive in the Northern section, Purple Heart Memorial Freeway in the Northeastern section, the César Chávez Border Highway in the southern section, and Joe Battle Boulevard in the eastern section.

The Texas Department of Transportation has announced plans to add toll lanes to the Border Highway portion of Loop 375 between Downtown El Paso and the Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge. TxDOT and the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization have offered several plans to build the Western leg of the loop from Downtown to Canutillo, Texas: Though not finalized, preliminary plans have included upgrading US 85/Paisano Drive to freeway status from Downtown to Sunland Park Drive, then allowing Loop 375 to run concurrently with Interstate 10 between Sunland Park Drive and Woodrow Bean Transmountain Road at Canutillo. In 2012, construction commenced of the freeway upgrade from Dyer Street east to I-10. This expansion has proved controversial, as the western leg of Transmountain Road passes through the protected Franklin Mountains State Park.^[2]

Clockwise, Loop 375 ends in downtown El Paso at US 62-85 Paisano Drive.
Counterclockwise, Loop 375 ends near Canutillo at Interstate 10 and Spur 16.

Route description

Transmountain Road has many roadcuts which expose outcrops of Precambrian rocks, which are some of the oldest in Texas.^[3] Units exposed include:

Red Bluff Granite
Castner Marble
Mundy Breccia
Lanoria Formation
Thunderbird Group (large roadcut at Smuggler's Pass)

History

Loop 375 was designated on January 26, 1962 from I-10 southeastward, eastward, southeastward, and southward to the Zaragosa International Bridge. On January 1, 1965, the section of FM 259 from I-10 to US 80 (now SH 20) became part of Loop 375. On April 1, 1968, Loop 375 extended northwestward 12.5 miles, and the section to the Zaragosa International Bridge became a spur connection. On January 29, 1991, the section from SH 20 northeast to Loop 375 was also added, which when constructed, the old route of Loop 375 was to be deleted. On April 24, 2008, this section was deleted, but was restored as Spur 276 on July 31, 2008, but this was changed to Spur 16 on July 26, 2012, probably due to a reference to the old Loop 16.

Gallery

Snow in Franklin Mountains in El Paso causes closure of Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive
The largest road cut on Transmountain Road, at the mile-high crest of Smuggler's Pass

Exit list

The entire route is in El Paso County.

Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
El Paso	0.00	0.00		I-10 east (US 85 / US 180) / Spur 16 south	Interchange; counterclockwise terminus of Loop 375; I-10 exit 6A; road continues as Spur 16
			—	Northwestern Drive	Interchange; west (counterclockwise) end of freeway; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
			11A	I-10 west (US 85 / US 180)	I-10 exit 6B
			11B	Resler Drive
			12	Paseo Del Norte Drive	Interchange; east (clockwise) end of freeway
				Franklin Mountains State Park Tom Mays Unit
			21	US 54	Interchange; west (counterclockwise) end of freeway; US 54 exit 29
			22	Bus. US 54 (Dyer Street) / FM 2529 (McCombs Street)
			24	Bomarc Street / Railroad Drive	Signed as Railroad Dr. only westbound
Fort Bliss			—	Sergeant Major Blvd. Not a Public Exit –	Access to Biggs Army Airfield and East Fort Bliss
			30	Spur 601 west (Liberty Expressway) – Airport
			32	Iron Medics Drive	Will provide access to (under construction) William Beaumont Army Medical Center
El Paso			35	US 62 / US 180 (Montana Avenue)
			38	Edgemere Boulevard
			39	Pebble Hills Boulevard
			40	FM 659 (Zaragoza Road)	Signed as exit 40B northbound
			40A	FM 659 north (Zaragoza Road)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			41	Vista Del Sol Drive
			42A	Pellicano Drive / Rojas Drive	Signed as exit 42 southbound; signed as Pellicano Dr. only northbound
			42B	Bob Hope Drive	No direct southbound exit (signed at exit 42)
			44	I-10	No direct exits to I-10 east (signed southbound at exit 42 and northbound at exit 45); exits from frontage road signed as 44B (I-10 west) and 44C (I-10 east); I-10 exit 34
			45	FM 76 (North Loop Road)
			47	SH 20 (Alameda Avenue) / FM 258 (Socorro Road)
			48	Zaragoza Road	to Zaragoza International Bridge
				SH 375 Toll west	East end of 375 Toll lanes
			49	Padres Drive
			—	Plant Road	Eastbound exit and entrance
				SH 375 Toll east	Eastbound access point
			51	Yarbrough Drive
				SH 375 Toll west	Westbound access point
			53	Midway Drive
				SH 375 Toll east	Eastbound access point
			56	Fonseca Drive
				SH 375 Toll east	West end of 375 Toll lanes
			58	US 54 east to I-10 west	No exit number westbound
				Park Street	At-grade T-intersection; westbound access only; west (clockwise) end of freeway
				US 62 east / US 85 north (Paisano Drive)	Clockwise terminus of Loop 375; western terminus of US 62; southern terminus of US 85; road continues north as Santa Fe Street
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Electronic toll collection Incomplete access