Road trip report: Tulsa, OK to Little Rock, AR via Mena, AR

[bugo]

(Posted to general highway talk because it doesn't fit into any one of the regional boards)

I recently went on a couple of roadtrips.  I drove from Tulsa to Mena, then from Mena to Little Rock, back to Mena and to Tulsa.  Route from Tulsa to Mena was I-44 E to OK 51 E to Muskogee Turnpike E to OK 165 S to Muskogee Turnpike E to I-40 E to US 59 S, the same way I usually go and the quickest route.  From Mena to Little Rock, I took AR 8 E to US 70 E to US 270 E to I-30 E to I-430 N to I-630 E.  Return trip to Mena was I-630 W to I-430 S to I-30 W to US 70 W to US 270 W to AR 88 W.  Some observations:

I've driven from Tulsa to Mena a bunch of times recently, and I don't have anything new to report. I did find a button copy sign in Muskogee the last time I drove to Mena in July:



I also photographed this button copy sign that had known about for a couple of years:



There's a new sign on US 59 Bypass in Poteau that mentions I-40.  Unfortunately, it's in Clearview.  There are now TO I-40 signs at the end of the off ramp from US 59 Bypass N to US 59/271 and one just north of the underpass.

Nothing new to report on AR 8 or US 70.  US 270 is signed to turn onto I-30 at Malvern.  There is an "EAST" trailblazer on I-30/US 270 but the shield is gone, so I have no idea if 270 was signed along the stretch or not. 

I-30 needs to be 6 lanes from Dallas to Benton, and 8 lanes from Benton to I-40.  Traffic was heavy and because of LLBs, I had to slow down several times.  If the cops would enforce the LLB law like they enforce speed laws....

The I-430/630 interchange is a clusterfuck.  WB 630 was backed up for a few miles at 5 pm.  The interchange is badly needed and it will be very nice when it is finished.  Financial Center Parkway (Chenal Parkway) will pass over Shackleford Road, and there will be a couple of flyovers.  The piers for the flyovers are partially finished.

About a mile before the US 70/70B interchange on the east side of Hot Springs at the east end of the bypass, there is an assembly that says "JCT US 270 JCT US 70B" even though US 270 does not follow the easternmost portion of the bypass.  US 70 exits off itself at the beginning of the bypass.

US 270 now has passing lanes in places between Hot Springs and Mount Ida.  There are several places where they are widening the road beginning just west of the Ouachita River bridge.  It looks like the road is only going to be 3 lanes.  Why not go ahead and build 4 lanes while they're at it?  Also, there was no construction between AR 227 and the bridge.

Odd C series AR 88 signs at Pencil Bluff.  The US 270 shields at this interchange are odd, with wider number spacing than most Arkansas shields.  AR 88 is cosigned along US 270, which is becoming rare in Arkansas.

I saw a lot of city limit signs and distance signs in mixed case Clearview.  Ugly, ugly signs.  Also, all the new signs on I-30 are in Clearview.  The uglification of our highways continues.

[bjrush]

I-30 needs to be 6 lanes from Dallas to Benton, and 8 lanes from Benton to I-40

Good luck with that

If the cops would enforce the LLB law like they enforce speed laws

They didn't enforce it because it isn't a law in Arkansas. http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

[bugo]

They didn't enforce it because it isn't a law in Arkansas. http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

From that URL:

"Law prohibits obstructing traffic by driving continuously in the left lane."

These jagoffs were obstructing traffic.  And it's not like I was going 80 MPH or something.

[Road Hog]

AR 88 is another one of those weird highways in Arkansas that has huge gaps in it and makes multiple appearances. The only place I can see it being co-signed with 270 would be for a very short distance. Unless AHTD was going to connect all the disjointed segments.

[US71]

AR 88 is another one of those weird highways in Arkansas that has huge gaps in it and makes multiple appearances. The only place I can see it being co-signed with 270 would be for a very short distance. Unless AHTD was going to connect all the disjointed segments.

If they did that, they should connect all the gaps in all the highways (like AR 74) and quit disconnecting other roads (like AR 59 and AR 16).