The Texas Historian, Volume 33, Number 4, March 1973 Page: 14
32 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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THE WACO CIRCLE
by TERRACE STEWART
G. L. Wiley Junior High SchoolTHE TEXAS HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT found
truth in the saying, "A good thing can be
overdone," after the Circle and Loop Drive
was completed in Waco. For years engineers
have worked to increase the sight range of
the motorist, but in the case of the Circle, they
discovered that he saw too much for his own
safety.
The grading of the Waco Circle began
in August, 1930, and was completed in De-
cember, 1931. The Circle was paved in 1932.
In June, 1933, the Highway Department
opened the Circle to traffic. The construction
of the Circle was not an easy task. Engineers
began work only after giving each detail care-
ful and accurate thought. At the time of its
construction, the Circle was the most distin-
guished and most perfectly modeled road in
existence.
The Circle and Loop was built to expedite
the safe movement of traffic at the intersec-
tion of five highways:
1. From the Southeast Highway 44-now
U.S. 77 to Cameron.
2. U.S. 81 (known as Highway 2 when the
Circle was constructed) south to Austin.3. From the Northeast Highway to Dallas.
4. Highway 44 (Circle road leading into
Waco now abandoned as a highway).
5. Highway 6 Northwest to Valley Mills
which is now Loop 396 (Valley-Mills
Drive).
When first constructed, the Circle's center
was left at road level. The Circle is 99.4 feet
from its center and has an eight inch curb mak-
ing it 100 feet in diameter. The Circle was
planned to separate traffic into five different
lanes of travel. Signs were placed 1,000 feet
from the Circle to warn the motorist that
he should reduce speed as he was approaching
a major intersection. Regardless of the signs,
trouble still occurred. Although there have
never been any fatalities at the Circle, there
have been many minor accidents, which re-
sulted from the motorist neglecting to read the
signs. More signs were placed along the high-
ways, but still the motorist came speeding to
Waco's infamous traffic circle (top). Land-
scaping (below) partially alleviated the motor-
ist's dilemma. Courtesy: Texas Highway De-
partment and Texas Parade.14
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Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 33, Number 4, March 1973, periodical, March 1973; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391379/m1/16/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.