Other San Antonio Area Roads "The Circuit"

This page last updated September 25, 2021

If you look at a road map of South-Central Texas for a few minutes, you may soon notice that, in addition to Loops 410 and 1604, San Antonio has yet another, albeit unofficial, loop. This outer-outer loop is formed by parts of State Highways 16, 97, 123, and 173 and all of SH 46. The roughly 222 mile ring, about 30-40 miles from downtown San Antonio, connects the towns of Boerne, Bulverde, New Braunfels, Seguin, Stockdale, Floresville, Pleasanton, Jourdanton, Devine, Hondo, and Bandera. The areas along the northern arc of this route are rapidly growing as San Antonio's exurbs continue to push northward, and some local residents and officials have begun to discuss the need for a possible third loop around San Antonio. While there are no official plans currently in the works to officially designate a third loop, "The Circuit" has emerged as a possible moniker for this ad-hoc beltway.

The majority of the route consists of two-lane rural roads. In 2006, TxDOT announced plans to widen SH 46 between Bulverde and New Braunfels, and work was completed in 2011 to widen the road to seven lanes between Loop 337 and FM 2722 in western New Braunfels, including an overpass at FM 2722. Over the past few years, passing lanes have been added between Boerne and New Braunfels. A widening project on SH 46 on the east side of Boerne was completed in 2021. 

The 2006 plan also proposed to widen SH 46 to six lanes through Bulverde, but the Bulverde City Council twice voted not to support the project. However, they have since reconsidered and TxDOT began a study of the route in 2015. The current proposal calls for widening SH 46 from Bulverde Rd. to FM 3159 to six lanes including a center median, bicycle facilities, and sidewalks. An overpass and interchange is planned at FM 3159. Construction of the center section from Farhills Dr. to Bentwood Dr. is expected to start in 2022. The eastern and western Bulverde sections, as well as the remainder of the route between Boerne and New Braunfels, are currently unfunded and so no timeline is available.

In 2017 and 2018, TxDOT conducted the Kendall Gateway Study for a possible bypass or other improvements in and around Boerne. The study, however, has been shelved after the Kendall County commissioners court voted to reject it.

Sometime around the turn of the century, TxDOT widened SH 46 from New Braunfels to Seguin to five lanes. Currently, TxDOT, in conjunction with the cities of New Braunfels and Seguin as well as Guadalupe and Comal counties, is studying future improvements that could include additional lanes, overpasses, and improvements to the SH 46/I-35 interchange.