Midland, Texas Roadways

Midland’s Roads: The Veins of the Tall City

Midland’s road system forms the circulatory system of the city, connecting its various neighborhoods, shopping areas, schools, and workplaces. From quiet residential streets to bustling urban thoroughfares, Midland’s roads enable commerce, community, and convenience across the city.

As the core of the booming Permian Basin region, Midland has experienced rapid growth in recent decades, placing increasing demands on its road infrastructure. Careful planning and strategic expansion of major arterials, thoroughfares, and highways has been necessary to ensure the efficient flow of people and goods across the Tall City.

This guide will explore the most vital roadways across Midland, from historic routes to new corridors still under construction, that keep Midland moving today and position it for future growth.

Main Arterials and Thoroughfares

Midland’s primary roads and highways facilitate travel across town and connectivity to broader regional networks. These high-capacity arterials handle heavy traffic volumes and channel vehicles effectively between Midland’s major commercial and industrial centers.

Loop 250

Loop 250 forms an outer beltway around the city, enabling efficient traversal across Midland and bypassing downtown for travelers heading further west towards Odessa or other destinations along Interstate 20. Sections include four to six main lanes, with maximum speeds between 50 and 65 mph depending on location.

Key intersections and adjoining roads:

• Highway 349 towards Big Spring
• Highway 158 towards Garden City
• Highway 80 towards Odessa
• Interstate 20

Loop 250 / Highway 349 Interchange

Currently undergoing major expansion and reconfiguration to upgrade capacity and ease congestion, this critical interchange connects Loop 250 with Highway 349, which runs north towards Big Spring and south into Midland’s core. The $73.5 million project will transform the existing severely-overloaded cloverleaf configuration into a modern diamond interchange with four overpass bridges to greatly improve traffic flow.

Loop 338

Running east-west along Midland’s northern perimeter, Loop 338 moves traffic around areas of increasing housing and commercial development on the city’s edge. Like Loop 250, maximum speeds are typically 60 mph. Key intersections include Highway 349, Highway 158, and Fairgrounds Road.

Interstate 20

Connecting Midland to the major hubs of Dallas/Fort Worth and El Paso, I-20 forms Midland’s main east-west artery for regional travel and commerce. Well-maintained and lightly-traveled compared to metro interstates, Midland’s 30-mile I-20 segment has provided an important channel for Permian Basin oil exports as production has boomed.

Key interchanges connect I-20 with Loop 250, Highway 349, and Highway 158. TxDOT recently began a $55 million widening project to upgrade Midland’s I-20 from four lanes to six from Loop 250 east towards Odessa.

Andrews Highway (Highway 385)

This expressway connects Midland to points south including Big Spring and the Mexico border. From Midland south, Highway 385 becomes Interstate 10. In Midland, Highway 385 allows north-south traversal between central Midland and Loop 250, including Midland International Air & Space Port, industrial plants, and distribution centers.

An overpass at Loop 250 eliminates traffic light delays, while frontage lanes provide access to adjoining businesses. TxDOT plans freeway upgrades in coming years to boost capacity commensurate with Midland’s growth.

Midkiff Road

Midkiff Road bridges Midland’s core east-west arterials along Wadley Avenue and Front Street, moving traffic between neighborhoods like Grassland Estates and key destinations including Midland Memorial Hospital, Bush Tennis Center, the Scharbauer Sports Complex, and Norwood Park golf course.

Front Street (Business I-20)

Front Street parallels I-20 through central Midland as Business I-20, moving motorists to destinations like Downtown Midland, Golf Course Road, and industrial Midland Drive. Converting to one-way couplets along certain stretches, Front Street offers access for trucks and travelers needing to traverse Midland’s urban core.

Wadley Avenue (State Highway 349)

Wadley Avenue carries Highway 349 traffic through central Midland north-south via Midland Drive and Andrews Highway. These routes connect Midland’s downtown and historic districts to its hospitals, airports, and leading employers. Multi-phase, multi-million dollar reconstruction continues on Wadley to widen lanes, upgrade signals, and enhance mobility.

Neighborhood Streets & Rural Roads

Beyond Midland’s high-capacity urban roads lie the narrower pavements, sleepy cul-de-sacs, and dusty rural routes that sustain outlying communities and serve commercial areas away from busy thoroughfares. While low-volume, these pathways complete Midland’s transportation network.

Mockingbird Lane

This iconic Midland road gained fame in the 1980s from pop star Jerry Jeff Walker’s wistful lyrics about his hometown, with the refrain pleading “I wanna go home to old Mockingbird Lane.” The song captured Midland’s small town character and close community ties.

Mockingbird Lane runs near Midland High School past homes dating from Midland’s 1950s oil boom. Though still modest, the street symbolizes Midland’s roots and development from dusty outpost to thriving hub.

Fairgrounds Road

initially an unpaved rural route, Fairgrounds Road hosted Midland’s annual fair and rodeo until the 1980s. Upgrading triggered business growth, with retailers like Home Depot and OfficeMax, hotels, and the Security Bank Ballpark minor league stadium arriving along the corridor. Fairgrounds Road links Highway 158 and Loop 338 offering north-south circulation past booming northern neighborhoods.

Tradewinds Boulevard

Among Midland’s many suburban cul-de-sac streets, Tradewinds Boulevard winds through comfortable 1970s homes in southeast Midland’s Belmont Addition linking Wadley Avenue and Briarwood Avenue. Kids play basketball in the street as drivers obey the 20 mph speed limit. Similar quiet lanes weave through Glenwood, Deauville, Grasslands Estates, and Midland’s other subdivisions.

County Road 1150

This chip-sealed, gently rolling byway leaves Midland’s southeast corner, connecting Colonial Hill Addition neighborhoods with nearby farmland and oil pads that fuel the city. CR 1150 exemplifies both the rural roots still surrounding Midland and the encroaching urbanization as neighborhoods expand along former field or ranch roads.

Construction & Improvement Projects

With Midland setting population records almost annually amid Permian Basin growth, roads once deemed adequate are overwhelmed, requiring enhancement for existing drivers and those still to come. Significant public funding and complex overhaul initiatives aim to keep Midland moving.

Wadley Avenue Reconstruction

Midland’s busiest but increasingly congested north-south artery remains Wadley Avenue, which funnels commuters to workplaces along downtown Midland and Midland Drive while linking central Midland to its mall, hospitals, and airports. As sections have become gridlocked, the Texas Department of Transportation continues a decade-long $200 million+ project rebuilding Wadley piecemeal while traffic volumes keep climbing.

Current Phase 5A involves a $58 million rebuild of 1.5 miles from Holly Avenue to Illinois Avenue including drainage upgrades, pedestrian enhancements, and 10-ft. lane expansions to handle growing volumes. Temporary pain from dust and detours will yield needed gains in safety and mobility on this key corridor relied upon by tens of thousands of Midland motorists daily.

Andrews Highway Expansion

Andrews Highway (Highway 385) represents the fastest growth story among Midland arterials. Just a two lane road through empty fields prior to 2010, breakneck development of surrounding areas is forcing expansion to expressway capacity. TxDOT has begun adding main lane and frontage road extensions from SH 158 north towards downtown Midland and Midland International to eliminate stoplights and keep regional traffic flowing towards I-20.

Further segments slated for upgrade to freeway standards are being engineering to support booming industrial parks and distribution centers along this emerging goods movement corridor through Midland.

Northeast Loop 250 / Highway 158 Interchange

Loop 250’s intersection with 158 currently utilizes a tightly-wound cloverleaf configuration that is frequently overtaxed at peak congestion times. TxDOT is allocating funds to fully reconstruct the junction into a modern diamond interchange with greater turning radii and multiple connector bridge flyovers. The total rebuild will improve safety and boost capacity to match development patterns in north and northeast Midland.

Historic & Scenic Drives

Though mostly focused on moving people and commerce efficiently, some special Midland roads offer passageways to explore cultural and natural treasures scattered around the Tall City.

Commemorative Air Force High Sky Wing Scenic Highway

Recognized as an official Texas scenic byway, this short loop offers views of vintage military aircraft at the Commemorative Air Force High Sky Wing facility adjoining Midland International. Interpretive signage honors military aviation history with preserved warbirds from Midland veterans’ past service.