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Author Topic: I-49 in Arkansas  (Read 1295812 times)

US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #275 on: September 06, 2012, 10:14:54 AM »

First six-lane section of the Interstate in NWA expected to open by year's end. (pay)

I've been watching that. There will be a Jersey Barrier between the NB and SB lanes of I-540. I'll be up that way again in a few days so I'll get a better look.

Update:
See my comments here: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=5278.msg172752#msg172752
« Last Edit: September 09, 2012, 10:02:14 AM by US71 »
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #276 on: September 25, 2012, 08:54:44 PM »

Quote
The state Highway and Transportation Department plans to award a contract next year to build a fourth interchange in the Fort Smith area for the long-planned Interstate 49.
The interchange would be at U.S. 71 south of the city, according to Joe Shipman, District 4 engineer for the Highway Department ...
Three other Fort Smith-area interchanges for the new northsouth interstate are nearly finished, according to Shipman ... Complete or nearly complete are interchanges at Arkansas 22 (Rogers Avenue), Roberts Boulevard and Massard Road.
When the fourth interchange on U.S. 71 is under contract and construction is well under way, the state expects to go forward with the last step, Shipman said. That would be paving the highway and opening it to traffic, perhaps by 2014 ...
Given the time frame and the length of the yellow line, it looks like the "fourth interchange" project.
Yes, quite likely. CR 8 is Howard Hill Rd, which is just SW of where the last project ended (Rye Hill Rd). Judging from the grading, I would say the dirt work will probably end just before 71. Lots of traffic in the area, so there really isn't a good place to stop for actual photos.

It looks like it won't be too long before there will be some paving to go on top of the dirt.  AHTD is advertising a 5.495 mile paving project in Chaffee Crossing for its October 24 letting:



The Plans indicate that the paving will begin just north of the Future I-49/ US 71 interchange:



It looks like they have a good chance of meeting that 2014 opening target.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2012, 10:01:10 PM by Grzrd »
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #277 on: September 25, 2012, 10:33:09 PM »

The Rye Hill-Barling stretch of I-49 will be pretty much worthless when it is first opened.  It will be useful for Barling residents going south on 71, but I doubt it gets 2000 cars a day until it is extended.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #278 on: September 25, 2012, 10:42:04 PM »

The Rye Hill-Barling stretch of I-49 will be pretty much worthless when it is first opened.  It will be useful for Barling residents going south on 71, but I doubt it gets 2000 cars a day until it is extended.

Or a truck bypass. Should we start kicking around numbers (like Spur 71) ?  ;)
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #279 on: September 25, 2012, 10:46:17 PM »

Probably a second Highway 549.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #280 on: September 25, 2012, 10:57:22 PM »

Probably a second Highway 549.

I'd have to disagree, though another x49 is possible.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #281 on: September 26, 2012, 05:59:59 PM »

Take a closer look at the schematic posted above. US71B????? I thought it was AR255.

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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #282 on: September 26, 2012, 06:29:38 PM »

Take a closer look at the schematic posted above. US71B????? I thought it was AR255.

rte66man

Looks like it's co-signed as 71B/255.... an apparent mistake.  I hope AHTD isn't dumb enough to do a re-route on 71B.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #283 on: September 26, 2012, 07:26:31 PM »

59 would make a lot of sense as a temporary number.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #284 on: September 26, 2012, 11:20:57 PM »

49 is the only number that makes sense.  Call it AR 49, I don't care.  Just don't give it a number that is planned to become obsolete in a few years.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #285 on: September 26, 2012, 11:29:39 PM »

49 is the only number that makes sense.  Call it AR 49, I don't care.  Just don't give it a number that is planned to become obsolete in a few years.

Like 471? ;)
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #286 on: September 26, 2012, 11:38:23 PM »

471 was meant to be permanent.  It was the idiot business owners along the road that caused it to be changed back.  To be honest, 71B is the better number for the road.  But it should revert to 71 and the spur between 71 and 540 in south Fayetteville could become 471.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #287 on: September 27, 2012, 01:00:10 AM »

471 was meant to be permanent.  It was the idiot business owners along the road that caused it to be changed back.  To be honest, 71B is the better number for the road.  But it should revert to 71 and the spur between 71 and 540 in south Fayetteville could become 471.

About 20 years ago, I think AHTD still called it 471S, but it's now invisible 71S.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #288 on: September 27, 2012, 01:20:19 AM »

71S?  It's mainline US 71.  Once there was a 71S sign on 540 south but it was an error and was replaced.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #289 on: September 27, 2012, 08:46:33 AM »

71S?  It's mainline US 71.  Once there was a 71S sign on 540 south but it was an error and was replaced.

I though I saw on a map the section of the old 71 Bypass from 540 to College Ave was 71S (though not posted)?
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #290 on: September 27, 2012, 01:00:18 PM »

Probably a second Highway 549.

Arkansas has a history of this. It'll either be SH 549 or 449.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #291 on: September 27, 2012, 06:47:59 PM »

Not trying to veer into a state that I'm not supposed to, I'll make it germain:

- Visited the UnderCliff bar and grill in Tipton Ford, Missouri (just south of Joplin, where you can hear the traffic on the near-future I-49 bridge from the restaurant's front deck as well as watch Kansas City Southern trains on that railroad's original Kansas City to Lake Charles/Beaumont-Port Arthur mainline.  What's interesting is that the restaurant is on old U.S. 71.  WOW.  It's only a paved country road with no shoulders.  What a difference a few decades make.  Other businessmen/bikers were at the UnderCliff, bound for BBB in Fayetteville.

- Hadn't driven on I-44 southwest from Joplin to the Oklahoma line in a while.  WOW #2 (though I've seen the east side development).  The trucking companies and the big truck stops in nice buildings popping up at this future I-44/I-49 junction makes me wonder what's going to happen when I-49 is finally linked between Pineville, MO and NWA (and then on to Fort Smith) and someday (when I'm dead) to Texarkana when Fort Smith genuinely becomes a two-interstate junction city and Shreveport (and possibly Texarkana) becomes a three-junction city.

Back to Arkansas now.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #292 on: October 26, 2012, 05:43:19 PM »

The Low bid for HWY. 71 , HWY.  22 (base and surface) at Fort Chaffee crossing was 22,649,692.08 from APAC- Tennessee, Inc.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #293 on: October 26, 2012, 07:26:10 PM »

The Low bid for HWY. 71 , HWY.  22 (base and surface) at Fort Chaffee crossing was 22,649,692.08 from APAC- Tennessee, Inc.

I saw that.  Maybe we'll have a Ft Smith bip-pass in a couple years ;)
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #294 on: October 29, 2012, 12:26:30 PM »

The Low bid for HWY. 71 , HWY.  22 (base and surface) at Fort Chaffee crossing was 22,649,692.08 from APAC- Tennessee, Inc.

On October 28, AHTD awarded the contract to APAC-Tennessee, Inc. Also, this Oct. 25 TV video report has some footage of Future I-49 construction through Chaffee Crossing and projects that construction should be completed in about two years:

Quote
Plans are in the works to build a major interstate right through the heart of the River Valley. The state Highway Commission chose bids this week for a portion of road that is expected to become part of Interstate 49.
A portion of I-49 will run right through Chaffee Crossing. The state expects construction to begin in a couple of months ....
The new seven mile stretch will run through Chaffee Crossing .... new portion of highway that will connect Highway 71 with Highway 22 near Central City ....
“We are extremely excited,”  said Stephanie Malone, Marketing Director for Chaffee Crossing. “It’s gonna relieve some traffic and send some traffic our way, close to 43,000 trips a day.”  ....
Construction should take about two years.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #295 on: October 29, 2012, 12:43:47 PM »

43,000 cars a day before it connects to I-540/Future 49 north at Alma?
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #296 on: October 29, 2012, 12:53:09 PM »

The Low bid for HWY. 71 , HWY.  22 (base and surface) at Fort Chaffee crossing was 22,649,692.08 from APAC- Tennessee, Inc.

On October 28, AHTD awarded the contract to APAC-Tennessee, Inc. Also, this Oct. 25 TV video report has some footage of Future I-49 construction through Chaffee Crossing and projects that construction should be completed in about two years:

Quote
Plans are in the works to build a major interstate right through the heart of the River Valley. The state Highway Commission chose bids this week for a portion of road that is expected to become part of Interstate 49.
A portion of I-49 will run right through Chaffee Crossing. The state expects construction to begin in a couple of months ....
The new seven mile stretch will run through Chaffee Crossing .... new portion of highway that will connect Highway 71 with Highway 22 near Central City ....
“We are extremely excited,”  said Stephanie Malone, Marketing Director for Chaffee Crossing. “It’s gonna relieve some traffic and send some traffic our way, close to 43,000 trips a day.”  ....
Construction should take about two years.

All the grading and structures are complete from AR 22 at Barling to just past Rye Hill. Rye Hill to US 71, crossing Howard Hill Rd, just started a couple months ago and is projected to finish around 2014. I wonder if AHTD & APAC will wait until that's done before starting paving.

KFSM makes it sound like construction has just begun even though it's been on-going for 3+ years. Also, 49 won't run to Canada, only to Kansas City.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #297 on: November 12, 2012, 07:12:22 PM »

Move Arkansas Forward has a Proposed Constitutional Fact Sheet #1 that lists by region the four-lane highway projects that would be supported by the half-cent sales tax to be voted on in November (pages 6-7/88 of pdf; pages 4-5 of document):
Quote
Four-Lane Projects of Regional Significance
Northwest Arkansas
• Completion of the initial two lanes of the ultimate four lanes of the Bella Vista bypass
This article reports that Issue No.1 was approved by the voters
(quote from Arkansas thread)

This Nov. 12 Joplin Globe article has three Nov. 7 photos of construction on the Bella Vista Bypass and reports that the BVB will be one of the early projects funded by the recently approved sales tax increase:

Quote
... the outcome of a vote last week in Arkansas, when residents imposed a half-cent sales tax to raise money for transportation projects around the state.
Among those projects that will be funded with the new tax revenue are the first two lanes of the Bella Vista bypass. Missouri officials have committed to matching what Arkansas does, meaning the long-awaited project is on the road to becoming a reality.
“The good news is that the Bella Vista bypass will be one of the earliest projects in this program,”  Randy Ort, spokesperson for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 07:48:53 PM by Grzrd »
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O Tamandua

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #298 on: November 14, 2012, 03:37:31 PM »



The current southernmost Missouri (as of 12/12/12) exit to I-49 at Pineville, waiting for the bag to come off...the blue signs are all up the current U.S. 71 now from this point at the turnoffs.  Pineville is the last zip code in Missouri prior to crossing the Arkansas line at Bella Vista.  1/2 mile south of this is the four-lane extended signage structure, northbound lane rock cut and (currently blocked-off) southbound exit ramp to the future BV bypass, all of which were in place around 2005/2006 and ready to be built had the Arkansas legislature been ready to fund their side then.
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #299 on: November 14, 2012, 04:29:24 PM »

is it just me or does that shield lack the state name?  Missouri is usually quite fastidious about this.
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