The AARoads Blog

19 miles of the 37-mile stretch of future Interstate 49 between Interstate 220 and the Arkansas state line are currently under construction. Despite a $280 million shortfall, the $560 project is still expected to be completed by 2012. As mentioned in a previous blogpost, Arkansas has completed most of future Interstate 49 from Texarkana southward toward the Louisiana state line. Dubbed Arkansas 549, the new freeway ends three miles north of Louisiana and awaits a highway to which to connect south of the border.

Signs of Interstate 49 construction appear as a cleared right-of-way in this aerial photograph of the Mira, Louisiana area.

Down in Shreveport, present plans take Interstate 49 westward along the Louisiana 3132 Inner Loop freeway to the junction with Interstate 20 & 220 and northward along Interstate 220 to a point between Exits 5 and 7. A four-level stack interchange was built originally between Interstate 20 and the current north end of Interstate 49 with the intentions that Interstate 49 continue directly north through the city. Plans for that were dropped because or rising costs and neighborhood opposition, and thus the ‘bypass route” was adopted for future Interstate 49.

Looking at the Interstate 20 & 49 symmetrical stack interchange in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ghost ramps may or may not tie into future Interstate 49 heading north. Otherwise high-speed ramps end unceremoniously at Murphy Street, Pierre Avenue, and Pete Harris Drive north of Interstate 20.

Times have changed however, and the consensus now is that Interstate 49 should continue north from its current north end through the city as opposed to bypassing it via Louisiana 3132 and Interstate 220. Areas north of the Interstate 20 stack interchange have deteriorated since the freeway was built and thus opposition has diminished. Additionally local officials are expressing support for the ‘in-city’ routing of interstate 49 as well. With all that stated, the main issue however is funding, and at a cost of $320 million, the in-city routing remains somewhat uncertain at this time.

Sources:

1. I-49 North funding $280M short. The News Star (Shreveport, LA), June 2, 2007.
2. Steven Delery

Like the Polk County Widening, our highway guides for Interstate 4 throughout Florida are complete. Added were photos showing the new Exit 60 interchange with Florida 429 Toll (Daniel Webster Western Beltway), widening underway in Volusia County, completed widening in Polk, the new viaducts and carriageways in Tampa, and every east and westbound exit.

http://www.southeastroads.com/i-004_fl.html

Work still continues on Interstate 4 at the U.S. 192 interchange in northern Osceola and with the future stack interchange at the East-West Expressway in downtown Orlando. Future projects along the freeway include a redesign of the Colonial Drive (U.S. 17-92 & Florida 50) and Maitland Boulevard (Florida 414) interchanges among others and the building of a new interchange with the Crosstown Expressway Connector in Tampa.

My co-worker Mark mentioned that in a recent Pinellas County Planning Organization meeting, the concept of upgrading the planned freeway of Bryan Dairy Road (Pinellas County 296), between Interstate 275 and U.S. 19 in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, Florida as Interstate 475. He says it was mentioned two or three times in the meeting. I’ve not found anything on their website to confirm this, nor can I find any planning documents yet. But here’s your heads up!

Why it would be an even-numbered Interstate is beyond me, but it would tie directly into the upgraded U.S. 19 freeway, which is presently under construction between Pinellas County 611 (49th Street North) and Ulmerton Road (Florida 688). A look at MyUS19.com reveals a planned SPUI for the intersection of U.S. 19 and Pinellas County 296, so that would not provide a seamless freeway to freeway connection between the two freeways.

I’ll post more if/when I find out more.

Low and behold there is some classic button copy left in South Carolina, and it is found on the U.S. 76 & 378 freeway bypass of Sumter. While button copy was erased from the Interstate system, the last signs coming down on Interstate 585 in Spartanburg in 2006, the freeway at Sumter provides a look at much older signing practices within the Palmetto State. The following photo gallery features vintage signs found along the freeway. Signs on U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business 521 are not all button copy, but old nonetheless.

U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business & 521	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business & 521	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business & 521
U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound at U.S. 76 Business east & 521	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 15	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound at U.S. 15
U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound at U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching their split
U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound split at the return of U.S. 76 Business	U.S. 378 westbound approaching the merge with U.S. 76	U.S. 378 westbound approaching at the merge with U.S. 76 and beginning of U.S. 76 Business west
U.S. 76 & 378 westbound approaching U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound at U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound approaching U.S. 15
U.S. 76 & 378 westbound at U.S. 15	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound approaching U.S. 521	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound at U.S. 521 and the merge with U.S. 76 Business

All photos taken May 29, 2007.

We rendezvoused in Savannah last week and drove out to Tybee Island to see the east end of U.S. 80. Low and behold, and appropriate given the previous post, a new end sign is posted!

Supposedly Tybee Island officials view San Diego as more of an exotic destination than say Dallas or Mesquite, even though U.S. 80 hasn’t traveled to S.D. in decades!

US 75 originally connected Canada with the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston. That all changed in 1987 when it was truncated to end in Dallas. South of Dallas, the remaining segments that were not on IH 45 became SH 75. Currently, Texas is updating all of its big green signs in the new (and stupid) Clearview font. On the new signs along IH 45, every mention of SH 75 along the interstate where there is a new sign is now shown as US 75.

I quite enjoy this, and for one, am heartily pressing for the creation of the San Diego US 80 reanimation society and political action committee. Who’s with me?