Loop route
Encyclopedia
A loop route is a highway
or other major road
that extends out from a typically longer, more important parents road to enter and (usually) circle a large city
. A loop can function as a bypass for through traffic and also to service outlying suburb
s.
Loops are prominent features in many large cities
in the United States
. A three-digit interstate that is a loop is usually designated by an even-digit before the number of its parent interstate. Many cities in the United States have a two-loop design where there is an outer loop, an inner loop, and interstates coming in to the city and going through the loops. Loop routes sometimes use inner/outer directions
as opposed to cardinal directions since the latter cannot be signed uniformly around the entire loop. In a few rare instances, loop routes can be a type of special route that splits from the parent and loops around a populated area, offering two bypasses
.
Loops are less common in the United Kingdom
; there is only one loop motorway, the M621
.
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
or other major road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
that extends out from a typically longer, more important parents road to enter and (usually) circle a large city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
. A loop can function as a bypass for through traffic and also to service outlying suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s.
Loops are prominent features in many large cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A three-digit interstate that is a loop is usually designated by an even-digit before the number of its parent interstate. Many cities in the United States have a two-loop design where there is an outer loop, an inner loop, and interstates coming in to the city and going through the loops. Loop routes sometimes use inner/outer directions
Inner/outer directions
Inner/outer directions are labels that identify the direction of travel on opposing lanes of traffic on certain ring roads and beltways. They can be used to sign individual routes that encircle a city or metropolitan area, where east–west and north–south orientations cannot be applied uniformly...
as opposed to cardinal directions since the latter cannot be signed uniformly around the entire loop. In a few rare instances, loop routes can be a type of special route that splits from the parent and loops around a populated area, offering two bypasses
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
.
Loops are less common in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; there is only one loop motorway, the M621
M621 motorway
The M621 motorway is a short loop of motorway in England that takes traffic into central Leeds between the M1 and M62 motorways. It is the second longest motorway in the United Kingdom to carry a three digit number although it carries more junctions than any other three digit motorway within the...
.