After years in the making, traffic is now flowing on the first stretches of Loop 88 in Lubbock County.
Lubbock-area leaders joined the Texas Department of Transportation in a ceremony Thursday opening four miles of Lubbock’s second major state loop, Loop 88, to traffic.
Contractor Sacyr Construction USA, LLC. began removing barriers on the Loop 88 on-ramps Thursday afternoon and the operation to open all on-ramps was set to take several hours to complete, according to a news release from TxDOT.
The Loop 88 corridor’s first two major projects – Phases 3A and 3B – have rebuilt FM 1585 from a two-lane roadway to a six-lane freeway with frontage roads, bridges and ramps from Avenue U to Chicago Avenue as part of a $154.8 million undertaking, the A-J previously reported.
The Loop 88 speed limit is 65 mph. Drivers are urged to stay alert and to keep in mind that as they approach the ends of the freeway, it will reduce to two lanes and then into one lane and transition into an off-ramp as it merges with the frontage road.
Additionally, frontage road traffic also merges with the same lane as the ramp traffic; please use caution.
Last year, Lubbock County Commissioners approved a proposal to request that state lawmakers designate that portion of Loop 88 under construction be named the First Responder Memorial Loop in honor of law enforcement, emergency medical services and firefighter personnel in Lubbock County who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
The proposal was approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May 2025.
Next phases of Loop 88 still to come
The Lubbock Loop 88 project is a phased initiative that will create an outer loop connecting around the west and south areas of Lubbock, beginning near Shallowater and running south to Wolfforth, then east to Slaton and connecting with U.S. 84 on both sides, according to TxDOT.
Phases 3A and 3B are the first of seven phases (incorporated into five projects) to build a freeway facility, along Segment 3 of the Loop 88 corridor.
Segment 3 spans from I-27/US 87 to US 62/82 in Wolfforth. Phase 3C, which includes the I-27 interchange, is the next project scheduled to accept construction bids this summer.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: TxDOT opens first segments of Loop 88 near Lubbock, updates progress
Reporting by Adam D. Young, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
