Loop 12 is a state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 that runs mostly within the city limits of Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. During the 1950s and 60s, Loop 12 was the outer beltway in the Dallas area, having since been supplanted by Interstate 635

Interstate 635 (Texas)

Interstate 635 or the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway is a partial loop around Dallas, Texas between Interstate 20 in Balch Springs, Texas and State Highway 121 at the north entrance of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. The route is long...

, which is itself being supplanted by the President George Bush Turnpike

President George Bush Turnpike

The President George Bush Turnpike is a 45.1-mile toll road running generally east–west through the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is named for George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States...

 (SH 190). Loop 12 is, however, the only state highway in Dallas that forms a complete loop (Belt Line Road

Belt Line Road (Texas)

Belt Line Road is a loop road that traverses through 16 cities in Dallas County, Texas. Belt Line Road is the outer complete loop which encircles Dallas, in contrast with Interstate 635 which forms an inner loop....

 is also a complete loop but is not a state road except for a stretch as part of Farm to Market Road 1382).

Starting in the east at Interstate 30, Loop 12 goes north as Buckner Boulevard, following surface streets past White Rock Lake

White Rock Lake

White Rock Lake is a reservoir located in east Dallas, Texas . The lake was formed by damming White Rock Creek, which today widens into the lake before continuing south out of the spillway and emptying into the Trinity River...

. Just north of White Rock Lake, it intersects Spur 244 and becomes Northwest Highway to the west; because there is an eastern and a western segment to this part of the road, at certain points the road signs read "East Northwest Highway." It continues west along surface streets over Central Expressway

Central Expressway (Dallas)

Central Expressway is a north–south highway in Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas.- North Central Expressway :The best-known section is the North Central Expressway, a name for a freeway section of U.S. Highway 75 between downtown Dallas and McKinney, Texas...

 (US 75) and the Dallas North Tollway

Dallas North Tollway

The Dallas North Tollway is a controlled-access toll road operated by the North Texas Tollway Authority , which runs from Interstate 35E near downtown Dallas, Texas , to U.S...

 and moves north of Bachman Lake

Bachman Lake

Bachman Lake is a small freshwater lake located in the Love Field neighborhood of northwest Dallas, Texas . It covers in northwest Dallas and lies on the northwest boundary of Dallas Love Field in the airport's landing path...

 and Dallas Love Field.

After crossing Interstate 35E

Interstate 35E (Texas)

Interstate 35E , an Interstate Highway, is the eastern half of Interstate 35 where it splits to serve different cities in Texas. I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and I-35E at Hillsboro. I-35E runs north for , maintaining I-35's sequence of exit numbers. It runs through Dallas before...

, Loop 12 moves south as a freeway, locally known as Walton Walker Boulevard, passing where Texas Stadium

Texas Stadium

Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...

 once sat at the interchanges with State Highways 114 and 183. The segment between I-35E (Stemmons Freeway) and Spur 408 is the only portion of Loop 12 that is freeway. It is also the only portion that leaves the Dallas city limits, as it runs through the eastern portion of Irving

Irving, Texas

Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...

 from Texas Stadium south to the Trinity River

Trinity River (Texas)

The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....

.

After intersecting Interstate 30 for the second time, Loop 12 continues south, joining surface streets again west of Mountain Creek Lake

Mountain Creek Lake

Mountain Creek Lake is a reservoir located southwest of downtown Dallas, Texas in the Mountain Creek area of the city. It is located south of SH 180, west of Spur 408, north of I-20, and east of FM 1382. The defunct Naval Air Station Dallas is located on the northwestern shore of the lake...

 at Mountain Creek Parkway and Patriot Parkway (or Spur 408, which provides a southwesterly freeway link to I-20). It continues to the southeast, turning east along Ledbetter Drive, just north of Dallas Executive Airport

Dallas Executive Airport

Dallas Executive Airport , formerly known as Redbird Airport, is a public airport located six miles southwest of the central business district of the City of Dallas, in Dallas County, Texas, USA...

 (formerly Red Bird Airport). It continues east, crossing US 67, Interstate 35E for the second time and Interstate 45. At the intersection with US 175 and Murdock Road, Loop 12 turns north again as Buckner Boulevard all the way back to Interstate 30.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Dallas County.

Location	Destinations	Notes
Dallas		Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		No northbound entrance
Irving Irving, Texas Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...	, D/FW Airport, University of Dallas University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a private, independent Catholic regional university located in Irving, Texas, established in 1956, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. According to U.S...
	Texas Plaza Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...	Northbound exit and entrance
	– Dallas	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Grauwyler Road
	Union Bower Road
	Shady Grove Road
Dallas	Singleton Boulevard
	Keeneland Parkway
		Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Illinois Avenue, Mountain Creek Parkway	Southbound exit is via Spur 408
	South end of freeway
	Ledbetter Road, Cockrell Hill Road	Interchange
		Interchange
	Polk Street	Interchange
		Interchange
	, Houston	Interchange
		Interchange
	Service Road	Interchange
		Interchange
		Interchange
	Military Parkway	Interchange
		Interchange
	Ferguson Road	Interchange
	Mockingbird Lane, Peavy Road	Interchange
	Skillman Street	Interchange
		Interchange
	Lemmon Avenue, Marsh Lane	Interchange
		Interchange
		Interchange
		Interchange
		Interchange