Raise Your Hand if You Remember the Devilish Tahoka Traffic Circle of Lubbock

Are you old enough to remember the treacherous roundabout you had to maneuver through to get to the strip in Lubbock?

I'm not, but my dad mentioned it this morning and I thought it might be an interesting piece of Lubbock nostalgia. The Tahoka Traffic Circle has been gone for nearly 30 years but left a lasting and unfortunate impression on locals.

Located just a few miles south of the Strip, the Tahoka traffic circle was where five major thoroughfares and one local street converged into a roundabout-esque traffic circle. It was right where Avenue Q, I-27, and the Slaton Highway come together today.

Back when Lubbock was dry county, the Strip was the location of about a dozen liquor and beer stores. It used to be lit up like the Las Vegas Strip, thus its name. Anyone living in Lubbock who wanted to buy booze had to traverse the circle, which meant lots of tipsy drivers on busy weekend nights.

Yikes.

Terror On The Tahoka Circle

That wasn't the only notable issue. Some recall being terrified on the Tahoka Traffic Circle when they weren't even driving.

Clay Coppedge penned an interesting tale published by Texas Co-Op Power in 2015, describing his experience "negotiating a devilish piece of road in Lubbock" not long after he got his driver's license. He explained that "traffic merged and exited from all directions" and mentioned that the worst thing a driver could do while on the traffic circle was to stop the car.

In 2023, a photo of the Tahoka Traffic Circle was posted to the Facebook page, If you grew up in Lubbock, Texas, you remember when....., and tons of stories of misfortune were shared in the comments. Countless crashes, spending winter nights helping drivers get unstuck, and even semi-trucks tipping over were all mentioned.

One commenter wrote,

"It was our own version of Russian Roulette."

Do you remember the Tahoka Traffic Circle? I'd love to hear from you. Share it below!