Never knew what a Texas U Turn was

[Sigarms]

So these are only for frontage roads, not an interstate itself? Frontage roads not common up this way, in fact I don't think I've ever seen one.

In Pa. I've seen signs for "jug handles", which are pullouts which give you a little more room to make a U turn. Again, these would be on state or local roads, not interstates.

Not certain what you mean by a frontage road, but having lived in Pa on the east and west side of the state, have seen nothing like the turn around in Texas in Pa.

 

[Sigarms]

Those "spin around" things are showing up all around this area. I can see - only the long distance truckers feel comfortable handling these things. The rest of us - hesitate and proceed with caution.

I don't think these type of turnarounds can be added after the fact. The bridge for the main highway travel actually has to be planned for these "turn arounds"

 

[MossRoad]

Spent past 4 days in San Antonio for my son graduating basic at Lackland.

Wife and I driving to hotel from Airport off 410 first day in, and I'm navigating by telling her what Waze is telling me. I tell her, "hey, we have a turn around coming up. What do you know, see a sign "Turnaround" on the highway. I'm confused because now there is a separate inside line and neither my wife or I know what to do, so we play it safe and go to the light to hang two lefts at lights to go in the other direction now on the highway.

We're both kind of perplexed about this "turn around" thing, so what do you know, coming out of the parking lot from the hotel doing a "trial" run to Lackland the same day, we have to take a turn around and we "learn" to take the inside lane of the turnaround. Dang, that was pretty slick.

Won't lie, the first time we screwed it up, I though Texans had their heads up their butts for making something kind of confusing (of course when you aren't use to it). 4 days later, we LOVE THEM! We had to use one on the way back to the airport because I typed in the wrong address for something apparently near the airport, and it makes having to go in the opposite direction so much easier.

Wasn't certain if this was local to only San Antonio or the entire state. Talking with an older guy from Odessa flying to NC for a funeral at the Airport with us in Dallas, he told us kind of all over the state, although we don't remember them when we were in Dallas years ago for a wedding.

Better description than I could provide below...

Texas U-turn - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hey, perhaps everyone here knows about them, but to us it was new.

Don't think they would work in NC though. Everyone thinks a yield sign is a STOP sign LOL

As opposed to the Michigan left...

Michigan left - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sigarms]

We have them and call them "Michigan U-turns".

I don't see by definition staying "left" in the turn around vs what Michigan has...

When doing the "Texas U turn", you stay in the far left lane and just do the U turn yielding to traffic. Generally, from what I've seen, Texas leaves a "lot of lane" for the driver to do the U turn.

 

[Sigarms]

As opposed to the Michigan left...

Michigan left - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

May be the same thing, not certain. Think I might have slept through michican a couple of times out to Montana and Idaho, or that might of been Wisconsin

Never had a reason to go through Michigan I think LOL

 

[MossRoad]

These are fairly common in Indiana. Dogbone roundabouts.

Works great.

 

[MossRoad]

May be the same thing, not certain. Think I might have slept through michican a couple of times out to Montana and Idaho, or that might of been Wisconsin

Never had a reason to go through Michigan I think LOL

No, it's not the same. Just looking at it, I like the Texas option much better. The Michigan ones you have to go through the intersection twice, so twice the chances of getting stuck by the light. Still the same amount of turns, though.

 

[Sigarms]

No, it's not the same. Just looking at it, I like the Texas option much better. The Michigan ones you have to go through the intersection twice, so twice the chances of getting stuck by the light. Still the same amount of turns, though.

I agree with you in looking at the Michigan model, it appear it isn't the same.

Once we got used to the "Texas U Turn", once we knew to stay inside in the left lane (when we had to use it), we basically never stopped to changed our 180 degree direction. No lights, no intersection, no stopping, but we did have a yield sign, but everytime apply gas and you were staying in the left lane all the way to reverse course on the major highway basically in seconds flat.

That said, in San Antonio, off of 410, that major road our hotel was off of, there were always road running parallel to 410 that had a lot of exits off that "side road" off of 410.

Let's just say after the first time after using that "turn around", I was like "WTF", and after a day or so, I was like "man, this is really nice".

 

[Sigarms]

On a sidenote, my wife and I have been married over 20 years now.

From our own experience, now that we are both in our mid to late 50's, the MOST stressful event in our relationship is when one person is driving and another person in the "navigator"

Pisses my wife to no end that I'm used to driving for work in the state finding places off my phone on my own, and when we drive, I kind of just do everything on my own when I'm driving. In her defense, maps off your phone can be tricky relaying the info, and my point to her is if I do it on my own, I have no one to blame but myself.

When trying to tell the driver directions off your phone, it can become a no win situation on exactly how that info is relayed to you on the phone, then you have to tell the driver what to do. To my wifes defense, I plugged in the address the to San Antonio airport, and I must have gotten some side business off the airport because it was NO WHERE near the car rental return location near the airport. I just "assumed" if we got near the airport, the signs would tell us where the car rental lane would be, and it didn't work out that way.

My wife's point was made clear to me when I'm the "navigator" yesterday

 

[jyoutz]

Spent past 4 days in San Antonio for my son graduating basic at Lackland.

Wife and I driving to hotel from Airport off 410 first day in, and I'm navigating by telling her what Waze is telling me. I tell her, "hey, we have a turn around coming up. What do you know, see a sign "Turnaround" on the highway. I'm confused because now there is a separate inside line and neither my wife or I know what to do, so we play it safe and go to the light to hang two lefts at lights to go in the other direction now on the highway.

We're both kind of perplexed about this "turn around" thing, so what do you know, coming out of the parking lot from the hotel doing a "trial" run to Lackland the same day, we have to take a turn around and we "learn" to take the inside lane of the turnaround. Dang, that was pretty slick.

Won't lie, the first time we screwed it up, I though Texans had their heads up their butts for making something kind of confusing (of course when you aren't use to it). 4 days later, we LOVE THEM! We had to use one on the way back to the airport because I typed in the wrong address for something apparently near the airport, and it makes having to go in the opposite direction so much easier.

Wasn't certain if this was local to only San Antonio or the entire state. Talking with an older guy from Odessa flying to NC for a funeral at the Airport with us in Dallas, he told us kind of all over the state, although we don't remember them when we were in Dallas years ago for a wedding.

Better description than I could provide below...

Texas U-turn - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hey, perhaps everyone here knows about them, but to us it was new.

Don't think they would work in NC though. Everyone thinks a yield sign is a STOP sign LOL

They have them in El Paso and Austin also.