Arkansas Highways and the realities of Arkansas Politics

Started by bwana39, May 25, 2021, 12:08:44 PM

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bwana39

When I was in my early twenties, I worked with a guy whose wife was a politico in Miller County Arkansas. This was in the very early stages of building the loop around Texarkana. The proud Arkansan (said Ar kan zun).. some would say Arkansasan (said ar kan saw yun).. we Texans would say Arkansasers (said Ar kan saw yers) They don't like that much.  It is actually illegal in Arkansas to say it "Ar Kansas" as they call the Arkansas River in Kansas.

I digress, the proud Arkansan explained Arkansas politics to me/ EVERYTHING (in 1983)  must benefit either (metro) Little Rock or Garland County. In Arkansas, Little Rock is the center of the world and Garland County is their playground.  Little Rock gets everything and the rest of the states get a few crumbs. This has only gotten more pronounced. The proportion of Arkansans living in Metro Little Rock has increased. Today, over half the state's entire population lives in the 501 and 479 area codes. Metro Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas.

A couple of decades ago, 501 had reached its breaking point. Walmart had matured into the behemoth it is today. They DID NOT want to change their area code. The solution was the haves / have nots.  501 was retained for central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas. 870 was assigned to the other 2/3rd of the state.

So back to the road. Since Arkansas was never going to spend money in Southwest Arkansas, it was decided that the new US-71 (freeway.. eventually to be I-49) would loop around the Texas side.  Arkansas would build about three miles connecting US-71 to the loop at the state line.  So what happened?  Bill Clinton and Mike Huckabee happened.  Both were from Southwest Arkansas. Huckabee (a Baptist minister before his political career,) actually served in Texarkana for half a dozen years.  Clinton got I-49 in SWA. Huck made sure it went around the ARKANSAS side.  I-530 was another Huckabee project. His other Pastorate was in Pine Bluff.

Clinton left the presidency a generation ago.  Huckabee was governor over a decade ago. We are back in the "ONLY Little Rock" place. I am not even going to try to  say they are wrong. Metro Little Rock is clearly the population center.  NWA is a not that distant second. There is not another place in Arkansas except around Jonesboro with 100K in a 50 mile (Arkansas only) circle.  In spite of the route for I-69 being approved through Arkansas, at this point, the roads are being upgraded to a better quality of two-lane roads.  This needed done; PERIOD.

Even if Arkansas were flush with cash, building roads outside of those forming spokes to the little rock wheel is not gonna be a really high priority. Perhaps Sarah Sanders as governor might change that, but she actually has to get elected. 

Let's build what we need as economically as possible.


Scott5114

This is a bit too far into the politics side of the politics/roads balance to be allowable.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef



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