SW H.K. Dodgen Loop
Unless I'm cutting through to Belton or Killeen more directly, Loop 363 is the "introduction" to Temple, and I've always kind of liked it. Maybe it was because it was associated with road trips, maybe because it bore a passing resemblance to the way College Station
used to be (including an extant Mazzio's that lasted for well over a decade after the College Station store closed), maybe it was because it acted as an extension of Waco (the greater area is sometimes referred to "Waco-Temple-Killeen"), and I like Waco too.
Today, most of SW HK Dodgen Loop is a modern freeway with frontage roads, exits, shoulders (inner and outer), overhead signs, and concrete barriers, far better than the dowdier Earl Rudder Freeway (at least for now). Until around the late 2000s, this wasn't the case, as the highway was hardly a freeway at all, with crossovers between the mainlanes, outdated exit geometry (if it even had exits at all), and poor lighting. This section covers 363 between I-35 and the South 5th Street overpass. Odd numbered buildings are on the south side of the freeway, even numbers on the north.
Going south, 363 turns into TX-95, which intersects 290 in Elgin (the 95 designation jogs east along 290 before going south again), while to the east, eventually intersects with US-79 in Milano. Anyway, due to poor resources (at one point the frontage roads were separate streets) and the fact that there really aren't too many entries to begin with, this page isn't expected to be updated much.
Version 7.0 reboots the page as it was previously scrapped and moved to Numbered Exits. From Version 6.0, the non-HK Dodgen Loop entries added later are gone. Also gone is Bob Mills Furniture (61st Street), McAlister's Deli, Baylor Scott & White Clinic - Temple South Loop (not HK Dodgen), Smile Doctors Braces (now at Numbered Exits), 1902 SW H K Dodgen Loop (now at Numbered Exits), Monterey's Little Mexico (now at Numbered Exits), Meeboon Thai Cuisine (now at Numbered Exits), Kohl's, Whataburger, Starbucks, Taco Bell (all four of these are now at Numbered Exits), Temple Mall (also at Numbered Exits), The Barrington (Numbered Exits), Saigon Cafe (at Numbered Exits), 300 SW H.K. Dodgen Loop (the former Cactus Jack's; now at Numbered Exits), Emporium Spice (SE HK Dodgen), and Tractor Supply Company (SE HK Dodgen). The remaining entries have been reordered numerically (east to west). Updated entries include Sunoco (formerly titled as "Sunny's") and Taqueria Mexicano Restaurant & Grill. Loop 363 Animal Hospital has been added.
Loop 363 Animal Hospital / 106 SW H K Dodgen Loop
The highway numbering starts just after 5th Street, with the freeway proper starting at around this point as well. The animal hospital dates back to around 2003.
Sunoco / 321 SW HK Dodgen Loop
Until 2017 this was a Mobil and converted to a generic gas station that basically resembles an ersatz Exxon with yellow instead of red (local copy), though the red version did briefly appear in 2017. It was almost like a royalty-free version of more famous brands. I think it was still Sunny's in 2025 but by March 2026 it was now Lucky's Food Mart with a Sunoco.
Red Roof Inn / 400 SW H K Dodgen Loop
This motel adopted this name between 2018 and 2019 (formerly Great Western Inn & Suites). At some point between 1995 and 2003, half of the lobby was torn down, probably due to a fire. It lacks access to the side street South 13th Street.
Lowe's / 605 S.W. HK Dodgen Loop
The Lowe's here opened in June 1996 and adjacent to its own named road, Lowes Drive, which actually goes into residential neighborhoods and has several houses off of it.
Wendy's / 1348 SW H.K. Dodgen Loop
This Wendy's was built in 2006 as part of a redevelopment of the block.
Taqueria Mexicano Restaurant & Grill / 1704 SW H K Dodgen Loop
Also known as Taqueria Mexicano Grille #2, this restaurant has been here since 2001. Previous restaurants on record include Leo's Coffee Cafe (2000-2001), Keith's R-B Shack (1998), Flashback Barbecue (1996-1998), and Vittlesticks (1994-1995). It's very possible that this was also known as 2102 Glendale and has some older spots located there including a location of Archie's Hamburgers, but research is still in progress.
Applebee's / 1808 SW H K Dodgen Loop
Applebee's has been a fixture of HK Dodgen Loop since 1993.
Yoshi's / 2201 SW H K Dodgen Loop
This Asian restaurant has been here since 2018, though not originally.
Jack in the Box / 3608 SW H K Dodgen Loop
Jack in the Box was originally at 3606 until the highway was widened to be a full freeway in this section, and the original had to be demolished. The current restaurant was built in 2006.
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