I-57 Approved

[edwaleni]

All Bucees discussions have relocated to a different thread. Please take it there, thanks.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=33924.0

[Plutonic Panda]

Route 57 alignment https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/i-57-route-identified/article_591d7d82-0755-5714-bb9a-02fad856cf44.html

[JayhawkCO]

Route 57 alignment https://www.jonesborosun.com/news/i-57-route-identified/article_591d7d82-0755-5714-bb9a-02fad856cf44.html

Looks like maybe we'll get an Exit 0.

[Tomahawkin]

This is good to hear! Now get this #### done! I'm curious to see how it will be routed through Missouri? I'm guessing it will be directly bypassing all the towns until it meets up with the completed portion of IH57

[jlam]

Looks like maybe we'll get an Exit 0.

Taking after everybody's favorite CO interstate, I see...

[Plutonic Panda]

Looks like it'll start in 2025 as well. Not familiar with this area at all but glad to to an interstate come together. Maybe by the time it starts Missouri will have plans for their short missing section.

[MikieTimT]

ARDOT has a higher res map and ROD and FEIS info.

https://future57.transportationplanroom.com/feis-and-rod

[The Ghostbuster]

So, there will be seven additional exits along US 67/future Interstate 57 in Arkansas. I wonder if US 62 will be rerouted onto the new freeway at the interchange southwest of Biggers, and get off again at the southern interchange of the Corning Bypass?

[MikieTimT]

So, there will be seven additional exits along US 67/future Interstate 57 in Arkansas. I wonder if US 62 will be rerouted onto the new freeway at the interchange southwest of Biggers, and get off again at the southern interchange of the Corning Bypass?

Either that, or it gets run down through the gut of town and along AR-304 to that exit and then onto the new facility.  If that's the case, then the old road becomes AR-367/US-67B with a few short concurrencies with US-62.

[triplemultiplex]

Better than I thought it would end up being with the desire to swing by Pocahontas.  For some reason, I had it in my head 57 would necessarily swing back closer to existing US 67 north of Walnut Ridge.
I like that it's all new terrain. Just easier that way.
Just too bad it'll probably take a decade to even get started the way things go these days.

[MikieTimT]

Better than I thought it would end up being with the desire to swing by Pocahontas.  For some reason, I had it in my head 57 would necessarily swing back closer to existing US 67 north of Walnut Ridge.
I like that it's all new terrain. Just easier that way.
Just too bad it'll probably take a decade to even get started the way things go these days.

Actually, the 2023-2026 STIP has $100M for "New Location" between Corning and the Missouri state line.  They have already said that the first segment will be the short bypass of Corning, so 2026 is when dirt moves in the Corning area anyway.

ARDOT 2023-2026 STIP Excel Spreadsheet, Line 325

STATE JOB NUMBER:10X726   
Termini: Corning – Missouri State Line (S)   
District: 10
County: Clay
Route: 67
FFY:2026
Type of Work: New Location
Length: 9.247
Total Cost x$1000: $100,000

NHPP x$1000: $75,000
Earmark x$1000: $5,000
Amendment 101 x$1000: $20,000

Renew Arkansas Highways Project.

[JREwing78]

Curious if ARDOT would elect to replace the US-67 designation between Walnut Ridge and Pocahontas with an extension of Hwy 115 once US-67 is moved to the new freeway.

[MikieTimT]

Curious if ARDOT would elect to replace the US-67 designation between Walnut Ridge and Pocahontas with an extension of Hwy 115 once US-67 is moved to the new freeway.

They might not necessarily move US-67 to the new facility.  Arkansas does want as much US highway mileage as possible, especially in this region with the proposed US-78 extension in the other thread and the ARDOT Chairman Alec Farmer being from Jonesboro.  They didn't move US-71 to I-49 between Alma and Fayetteville, and it's still US-71 in Bella Vista, after all.

[abqtraveler]

Curious if ARDOT would elect to replace the US-67 designation between Walnut Ridge and Pocahontas with an extension of Hwy 115 once US-67 is moved to the new freeway.

They might not necessarily move US-67 to the new facility.  Arkansas does want as much US highway mileage as possible, especially in this region with the proposed US-78 extension in the other thread and the ARDOT Chairman Alec Farmer being from Jonesboro.  They didn't move US-71 to I-49 between Alma and Fayetteville, and it's still US-71 in Bella Vista, after all.

I would suspect ArDOT will give the Corning Bypass a temporary designation (thinking...AR-557) until other sections of the extension are completed and the entire highway is ready to be designated as I-57. 

But a curious question...Will the first section around Corning be a full build or just the first 2 lanes, like what was done with the first stretch of I-69 around Monticello?

[MikieTimT]

Curious if ARDOT would elect to replace the US-67 designation between Walnut Ridge and Pocahontas with an extension of Hwy 115 once US-67 is moved to the new freeway.

They might not necessarily move US-67 to the new facility.  Arkansas does want as much US highway mileage as possible, especially in this region with the proposed US-78 extension in the other thread and the ARDOT Chairman Alec Farmer being from Jonesboro.  They didn't move US-71 to I-49 between Alma and Fayetteville, and it's still US-71 in Bella Vista, after all.

I would suspect ArDOT will give the Corning Bypass a temporary designation (thinking...AR-557) until other sections of the extension are completed and the entire highway is ready to be designated as I-57. 

But a curious question...Will the first section around Corning be a full build or just the first 2 lanes, like what was done with the first stretch of I-69 around Monticello?

I haven't seen anything definitive, but given that it's less than 10 miles and they've got $100M in the STIP for it, I think they go whole hog.  This will get priority given the ARDOT chairman is from the area and it would help alleviate eastern I-40/I-55 traffic SW<-->NE in Arkansas.

[Tomahawkin]

That makes perfect sense because traffic on IH 40 Between Memphis and Little Rock is Hell. Many people use that route to go from Atlanta to Dallas because traffic on IH 20 in both Louisiana and Texas can be FUBAR often

[Bobby5280]

I'm not sure a completed I-57 will draw all that much traffic off I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis. I think it will work more as an alternative route for US-69 in Oklahoma and I-44 in Oklahoma and Missouri. Traffic coming up the direction of DFW and taking I-57 NE of Little Rock will be headed more in the direction of Chicago than Nashville.

I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis is probably going to continue to get more loaded with traffic as metros in Texas and Arizona continue to grow. The I-40/I-81 combo is a serious conduit for traffic coming from the Southwest heading to DC-Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, etc.

[armadillo speedbump]

That makes perfect sense because traffic on IH 40 Between Memphis and Little Rock is Hell. Many people use that route to go from Atlanta to Dallas because traffic on IH 20 in both Louisiana and Texas can be FUBAR often

LOL.  Nobody goes DFW to Atlanta via I40.  It's more than 60 extra miles, an extra hour on an already 11+ hour trip, and as noted, I40 is indeed a beating between Little Rock and Memphis. Nowhere on I20 between Dallas and Atlanta is similar.

[edwaleni]

That makes perfect sense because traffic on IH 40 Between Memphis and Little Rock is Hell. Many people use that route to go from Atlanta to Dallas because traffic on IH 20 in both Louisiana and Texas can be FUBAR often

LOL.  Nobody goes DFW to Atlanta via I40.  It's more than 60 extra miles, an extra hour on an already 11+ hour trip, and as noted, I40 is indeed a beating between Little Rock and Memphis. Nowhere on I20 between Dallas and Atlanta is similar.

Not all primary routes are based on distance alone. Fuel prices, congestion, high degree of accidents or delays, lack of truck facilities or a dispatch facility from their firm can impact route choices.

[Tomahawkin]

Exactly!

[Tomahawkin]

Speed limit is higher in Arkansas as opposed to Mississippi and Louisiana as well. Armadillo Speedbump... Oy

Apparently more people use it than you think

[bwana39]

That makes perfect sense because traffic on IH 40 Between Memphis and Little Rock is Hell. Many people use that route to go from Atlanta to Dallas because traffic on IH 20 in both Louisiana and Texas can be FUBAR often

LOL.  Nobody goes DFW to Atlanta via I40.  It's more than 60 extra miles, an extra hour on an already 11+ hour trip, and as noted, I40 is indeed a beating between Little Rock and Memphis. Nowhere on I20 between Dallas and Atlanta is similar.

I agree that when it is free flowing that I-20 is not as bad as I-40 east or Little Rock. The problem with I-20 as opposed to I-30 in Texas is the construction delays on I-20 are hours long. The ones on the other freeways don't seem to rival them.

[sprjus4]

Speed limit is higher in Arkansas as opposed to Mississippi and Louisiana as well. Armadillo Speedbump... Oy

Apparently more people use it than you think

I doubt the difference between 70 and 75 mph is causing people to drive 60 additional miles. I-20 definitely seems like the more direct and less disruptive route between the two cities. The speed limit is 70 mph as opposed to 75 mph, but realistically traffic is flowing 75-80 mph on both highways regardless. Additionally, there's definitely less truck traffic and delay on I-20 vs. I-40 - especially the slog between Memphis and Little Rock - where you'll be lucky to even get within 5 miles of that 75 mph speed limit half the time, let alone above 65 mph being stuck behind walls of trucks for miles.

Unrelated - but I'm unsure why Louisiana hasn't bumped I-20 (and I-10) up to 75 mph. The state law permits it, and most of I-49 has a 75 mph speed limit. The vast majority of I-20 can easily handle 80+ mph speeds as it is, 75 mph should definitely be posted.

[Revive 755]

LOL.  Nobody goes DFW to Atlanta via I40.  It's more than 60 extra miles, an extra hour on an already 11+ hour trip, and as noted, I40 is indeed a beating between Little Rock and Memphis. Nowhere on I20 between Dallas and Atlanta is similar.

Ironically when trying to verify this in Google Maps tonight the first route it gave for going from Atlanta to Dallas was the longer route using I-22 to the Memphis area and I-40 between West Memphis and the Little Rock.  May have something to do with some closure on WB I-20 in Louisiana.

[Road Hog]

If I was driving in that direction overnight I would take I-20 over I-40 all night long, construction or not. I-40 is solid 18-wheelers at all hours in both lanes at 60 mph. The Convoy from Hell, basically.