Frivolous US highway extensions in Arkansas (long)

[US71]

I'm surprised that SH 7 and 16 haven't been made into US highways by now. Both are very long routes.

Probably cost too much to upgrade them from meandering country roads.

[bugo]

I'm surprised that SH 7 and 16 haven't been made into US highways by now. Both are very long routes.

Probably cost too much to upgrade them from meandering country roads.

AR 7 is too iconic (AHTD even admitted this) and AR 16 is not worthy of a US highway designation.  It's a bit better than a "meandering county road" but it's still very curvy and a very slow drive.  If it were a US highway, it would bring more truck traffic which is something that it doesn't need.  And it would get a red line on a map, which would make travelers think that it's a good alternative to I-40 or US 412. 

[US71]

I'm surprised that SH 7 and 16 haven't been made into US highways by now. Both are very long routes.

Probably cost too much to upgrade them from meandering country roads.

AR 7 is too iconic (AHTD even admitted this) and AR 16 is not worthy of a US highway designation.  It's a bit better than a "meandering county road" but it's still very curvy and a very slow drive.  If it were a US highway, it would bring more truck traffic which is something that it doesn't need.  And it would get a red line on a map, which would make travelers think that it's a good alternative to I-40 or US 412. 

Ha-ha-ha-ha... I drove from Fayetteville to Searcy on 16 once: it took all day for what's normally about 4 hours via I-40 & US 67.

[bugo]

I drove parts of AR 16 for fun so I didn't mind having to go slowly (and I was driving my Probe, and having fun in the curves) but I wouldn't want to use it on a regular basis and I wouldn't want to use it on a trip where I was trying to make time.

[bugo]

Arkansas tried a couple other extensions/commissionings of US routes. In 1960, the Arkansas State Highway Commission applied for an extension of US 271 north from Fort Smith to the Missouri line via US 71, US 64 and AR 59. It would likely have ended at US 71 in Anderson, MO. It was denied by AASHO.

Another new US route that was proposed but never commissioned was US 366 which was proposed in 1956. It would have run from Amarillo, TX to Little Rock, AR. The section in Arkansas would have followed US 271 from the Oklahoma line to US 71, US 71 south to AR 10, then AR 10 east to US 70 in Little Rock. Oklahoma initiated this plan, and it was denied by AASHO. In Oklahoma, it would have followed OK 9 in all the way across the state. I don't know how it would have gotten from Amarillo to Vinson but the most logical route would have been to follow US 287 to TX 203 to OK 9. Why it would have ended in Amarillo instead of Hedley is a mystery.

ASHC Minute Order 3913:
In CRAWFORD, WASHINGTON, and BENTON COUNTIES, subject to approval by the American Association of State Highway Officials, IT IS ORDERED that State Highway No. US 271 be extended from its present terminus at the junction of US 71 in Fort Smith to the Missouri State Line north of Sulphur Springs via US 71 and 64 to the junction of State Highway No. 59 in Van Buren, thence along State Highway No. 59 via Evansville, Dutch Mills, Summers, Siloam Springs, Gentry, Decatur, Gravette, and Sulphur Springs to the Missouri State Line.

ASHC Minute Order 1417:
WHEREAS, the State Highway Commission of Oklahoma has asked the Arkansas State Highway Commission to concur with them in their request for the establishment of a U. S. Route from Amarillo, Texas, to Little Rock, Arkansas; and,
WHEREAS, the State Highway Commission of Oklahoma has requested approval of Federal Designation carrying the number U. S. 366 over Oklahoma State Highway No. 9 across the State of Oklahoma, and State Highway No. 9 coincides with Highway No. U. S. 271 from Spiro, Oklahoma, to the Arkansas State Line. NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the Director be authorized to prepare and submit an application to the American Association of State Highway Officials for the establishment of a U. S. Route, to be designated No. U. S. 366, between Amarillo, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas, with proper supporting papers for the portion within Arkansas, over the following route: From the Oklahoma State Line, over Highway No. U. S. 271 to No. U. S. 71 at Fort Smith; thence over No. U. S. 71 to No.10 at Greenwood; thence over No. 10 through Booneville, Danville, and Ola to No. 9 at Perry; thence over No. 9 through Perryville to No. 10 at Williams Junction; thence over No. 10 to No. U. S. 70 at Little Rock.

[US71]

Arkansas tried a couple other extensions/commissionings of US routes. In 1960, the Arkansas State Highway Commission applied for an extension of US 271 north from Fort Smith to the Missouri line via US 71, US 64 and AR 59. It would likely have ended at US 71 in Anderson, MO. It was denied by AASHO.

271 seems a waste of highway dollars. Extend 253 to 71B, make the 540 extension a state route, then OK 9 can take over to Sunset Corner

[Road Hog]

There are only 5 counties not served by a US highway in Arkansas: Yell, Perry, Cleburne, Stone and Izard. (US 71 clips a corner of Logan County and US 65 clips Newton.) Extending US 266 out of Oklahoma along AR 10 to Little Rock would take care of the first two. Extending US 425 through England and Cabot, then up AR 5 to Mountain Home would handle the other three.

[bugo]

Arkansas tried a couple other extensions/commissionings of US routes. In 1960, the Arkansas State Highway Commission applied for an extension of US 271 north from Fort Smith to the Missouri line via US 71, US 64 and AR 59. It would likely have ended at US 71 in Anderson, MO. It was denied by AASHO.

271 seems a waste of highway dollars. Extend 253 to 71B, make the 540 extension a state route, then OK 9 can take over to Sunset Corner

A better suggestion would be to have US 271 follow OK 112 from Poteau to Pocola, then its current route to US 71B, then along either US 71B or AR 255 to US 64, then cross the Arkansas River into Oklahoma along US 64, then north along OK 64D to end at I-40 at the state line.

[Wayward Memphian]

1989: US 412 extended west from Walnut Ridge, through the remainder of AR and into Oklahoma.  This extension involved a 166-mile multiplex with US 62, which makes no sense to me.  Why couldn't they have simply rerouted US 62 along the current US 412 corridor (Alpena-Huntsville-Springdale), and change current US 62 (Alpena-Rogers-Springdale) to Alt. US 62, or else a state route?  You could argue that the corridor from Springdale west into Oklahoma would've needed a new number, but it sure wasn't necessary to drag the US 412 designation all the way across the state.

While I do agree that the multiplex with US-62 is strange, US-412 is a very important route from Alpena-Springdale-Siloam Springs-Tulsa-Glencoe-US-35, where there was no previous US highway designation.  However, I am actually confused as to why the designation continues past Guymon, OK.  US-412 is multiplexed with existing US highways the entire way from this point until reaching I-25 in New Mexico.  This seems more frivolous to me than providing the same US highway designation from TN to OK.

A 4 lane, divided with some limited access US 412 would be a god send and possibly a I-22 extension by using I-555 as part of connecting the dots.