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Interstate 30 Eastbound - New Boston to Arkansas

Interstate 30 East
This view looks east along IH 30 before Texas' SH 8. Photo taken 04/25/08.
New Boston is the county seat of Bowie County. The town got its start in the summer of 1876 when the railroad was being built through the area. Residents of Boston packed up their town and moved it 4 miles north to the rails - renaming it in the process. Photo taken 04/25/08.
IH 30 eastbound at SH 8. SH 8 is a short route that starts at the Arkansas border and runs south through northeast Texas. It follows much the same route as it did in 1917 at commissioning. Photo taken 04/25/08.
This standard interstate mileage sign points the way to Hooks and the regional center of Texarkana. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Spur 86 is the next exit along IH 30. Spur 86 was commissioned in 1963 to connect the Red River Arsenal to the new interstate. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The Red River Army Depot is a 50 square mile US army facility used to store ordinance and explosives, it dates from August 1941. Photo taken 04/25/08.
An IH 30 eastbound reassurance marker east of Spur 86. Photo taken 04/25/08.

The forested views continue as Texarkana nears along the interstate. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Hooks, named after an early plantation - was founded in 1876 when the rail came through. Today it is virtually a suburb of Texarkana. Photo taken 04/25/08.
FM 560 is the next exit, this view looks east towards Hooks. Photo taken 04/25/08.
FM 560 is the main drag through Hooks, and this exit has almost all of the town's retail and commercial establishments. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Texarkana is just 14 miles distant, as is Arkansas. At this point Little Rock makes its first appearance on Interstate 30's mileage signs. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The next exit along IH 30 is for Spur 74. Spur 74 rusn .4 miles south to US 82 and Victory City. Victory City was built in the 1940s to serve the nearby Lone Star Ammo plant, and was named to reflect the patriotic sentiment of the times. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Exit 212 connects the interstate to the Lone Star Ammo plant. The plant is 24,300 acres and was built during WW2 to house army ordinance and explosives. Today the base still has a small number of military personnel and thousands of civilian employees. Photo taken 04/25/08.
An IH 30 eastbound reassurance marker east of the ammo plant exit. Photo taken 04/25/08.
This eastbound mileage sign matches the prior one, showing distance to Texarkana and Little Rock. Photo taken 04/25/08.
FM 2253 is the next exit. It runs south to US 82 and north almost to the Red River. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The Leary exit was missing its sign at the time this photo was taken. Leary was almost a ghost town until 1945 when the adjacent military installations were built, and today most residents work at one of them. Photo taken 04/25/08.
A slight hill amongst the trees reveals a reassurance marker. Photo taken 04/25/08.
FM 989 is the next exit eastbound. 989 is also known as Kings Highway, and forms an important arterial route on the west side of Texarkana. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Nash is Texarkana's largest suburb, and houses some of the nicer homes in the area. The town started out as a railroad stop before transforming into a suburban area in the 70s and 80s. Photo taken 04/25/08.
A look to the east reveals construction underway. At the time this photo was taken, TxDot was upgrading Texarkana's stretch of IH 30 with extra collector lanes and one way multilane frontage roads. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The next major intersection with IH 30 is with US 59. US 59 runs south to Houston and the Rio Grande Valley. At one point in Houston it is Texas' busiest freeway. US 59, further south, also forms the backbone of future IH 69 in the state. Photo taken 04/25/08.
A new bridge under construction will connect each side of the frontage roads with nearby University Ln. Photo taken 04/25/08.
US 59 forms a freeway along the west side of Texarkana, providing an important bypass of the city. Currently, the trumpet interchange at its junction with IH 30 is being transformed into a 3-level stack with connections to the new frontage roads. Photos taken 04/25/08.
FM 559 is locally known as Richmond Rd and is the first exit in Texarkana proper. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Richmond Rd is one of the most important arterial roads in the area, and along it sit the city's colleges and its regional mall. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Along with its aforementioned importance, Richmond also has the worst traffic in the region, and it can be seen here waiting on the bridge. Photo taken 04/25/08.
Through Texarkana, IH 30 is fairly busy and packed with various commercial operations on each side of the road. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The next Texarkana exit is for Summerhill Rd., notice the Texas outlines on the overpass in the photo. Texas SH 93 is a 6.4 mile state highway that runs south through Texarkana to the US 59 bypass freeway. Photo taken 04/25/08.
State Line Avenue, Texarkana's most famous street and the last exit in Texas comes up soon after Summerhill. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The views show the last scenery in Texas as IH 30 is rebuilt, beginning with the frontage roads. Photos taken 04/25/08.

IH 30 eastbound at State Line Avenue, which carries US 71 south into downtown Texarkana. The road follows the state border for about 11 miles. The dry Texas side is lined with hotels and motels, while the wet Arkansas side is lined with liquor stores. Photo taken 04/25/08.
State Line's interchange is a cloverleaf, it is currently in the beginning stages of being rebuilt into a diamond interchange. Photo taken 04/25/08.
The "Arkansas State Line" sign is currently missing from this scene, as IH 30 enters the state of Arkansas from Texas. At this loop ramp, US 71 and US 59 continue northward into Arkansas. Photo taken 04/25/08.

Page Updated June 3, 2008.