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I-49 in Arkansas

Started by Grzrd, August 20, 2010, 01:10:18 PM

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MikieTimT

Quote from: Tomahawkin on December 20, 2018, 09:16:25 PM
I agree Bobby. And a 412 extension to 555 in NE Arkansas would be nice. Its such a pain in the Ass to have to go south to IH 40 to get to NE Arkansas. That also would mean a new rerouting of 412 bypassing Springdale. That is light years away to. But its good to be proactive instead of reactivate...

I get that way a couple of times a year, and I usually take the southern/faster route on my way to my client there, but usually take 412 back as I hate backtracking after working away from home.  It's a pretty fun route anyway in a WRX, but does take another 30-45 minutes.  I find it hard to believe that there would be an interstate any further east of Harrison in my lifetime or at least until retirement, but miracles do occur.  It'd take a doubling of NWA and a quadrupling of NEA for there to be enough of a push to connect the two in my estimation.


Tomahawkin

Well hell. North Central Arkansas is a huge area to retire to as well. More people in those towns there would necessitate a thruway through there. It might be 2030 before that happens

Tomahawkin

Also. The only way People would consider moving to NEA Is if those counties went wet. Jonesboro loses so much money on revenue and prevention from people/jobs locating there because of the dry county BS. The only thing out there that gets attention there is the rampant mosquitoes...

qguy

Quote from: Tomahawkin on December 20, 2018, 09:16:25 PM
... That also would mean a new rerouting of 412 bypassing Springdale. That is light years away to.

A light year is a measure of distance, not time, so you'll need to provide a conversion factor. What's that in miles... or dog years?  :D

MikieTimT

Quote from: Tomahawkin on December 20, 2018, 11:54:54 PM
Well hell. North Central Arkansas is a huge area to retire to as well. More people in those towns there would necessitate a thruway through there. It might be 2030 before that happens

Putting an interstate through there would draw more than retirees there as it becomes a lot more accessible.  And then it becomes another Bella Vista too.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love an I-50 to run across northern Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and New Mexico, but with that comes a lot of development that runs contrary to the goals of most retirees, which in general are seeking out cheap and quiet places to live out their golden years.  North Arkansas becomes a tourist mecca instead of an ideal retirement destination if an expressway gets completed.  Depends on what your goals are.  Like I said in an earlier post, if they ever do the Western Beltway bypass for I-49 that was studied back in 2011, it would be supremely convenient to hop on an interstate that would have an exit 2 miles from my home.  But with that comes development, crime, noise, pollution, traffic, and other undesirable aspects of freeways that you don't necessarily want at your doorstep.  It's the reason I moved into what is essentially a retirement community outside of Fayetteville even in my youth.  Makes for a great place to raise kids without worrying about their every waking moment like many of our parents had the blessing of, and gives them an appreciation for nature that many city dwellers only get from afar that often turns into nature worship.  When NWA grows to my doorstep, it's time to move.

Bobby5280

An Interstate quality link between Tulsa and Springdale would be a reaction to development growth and increases in traffic that has already happened.

It's another point of debate whether such an Interstate connection should be extended farther East. IMHO, upgrading the US-412 corridor across Northern Arkansas to Interstate standards is unnecessary. Some of the 2-lane segments might be worth upgrading to 4 lanes.

As far as highways in NE Arkansas go the I-57 project would be the biggest priority, followed by extending I-555 to Walnut Ridge and then (long term) extending up into Missouri to patch into the US-60 corridor on the way to Springfield. That's a more significant East-West corridor than US-412 across Northern Arkansas. It's a lot farther along in the process of being upgraded into an Interstate class facility.

US71

Quote from: MikieTimT on December 21, 2018, 09:59:51 AM
Quote from: Tomahawkin on December 20, 2018, 11:54:54 PM
Well hell. North Central Arkansas is a huge area to retire to as well. More people in those towns there would necessitate a thruway through there. It might be 2030 before that happens

Putting an interstate through there would draw more than retirees there as it becomes a lot more accessible.  And then it becomes another Bella Vista too.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love an I-50 to run across northern Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and New Mexico, but with that comes a lot of development that runs contrary to the goals of most retirees, which in general are seeking out cheap and quiet places to live out their golden years.  North Arkansas becomes a tourist mecca instead of an ideal retirement destination if an expressway gets completed.  Depends on what your goals are.  Like I said in an earlier post, if they ever do the Western Beltway bypass for I-49 that was studied back in 2011, it would be supremely convenient to hop on an interstate that would have an exit 2 miles from my home.  But with that comes development, crime, noise, pollution, traffic, and other undesirable aspects of freeways that you don't necessarily want at your doorstep.  It's the reason I moved into what is essentially a retirement community outside of Fayetteville even in my youth.  Makes for a great place to raise kids without worrying about their every waking moment like many of our parents had the blessing of, and gives them an appreciation for nature that many city dwellers only get from afar that often turns into nature worship.  When NWA grows to my doorstep, it's time to move.

I never considered the Woods to be a retirement community. 20 years ago, it seemed to be old, retired hippies and hermits. ;)

I drove by about a month ago just for giggles and it looked like it was about to be swallowed up by the city.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

MikieTimT

Quote from: US71 on December 21, 2018, 10:36:24 AM
I never considered the Woods to be a retirement community. 20 years ago, it seemed to be old, retired hippies and hermits. ;)

I drove by about a month ago just for giggles and it looked like it was about to be swallowed up by the city.

There are a fair number of old hippies that live around us, but also some other small business owners, U of A professor types, and some younger families moving in as well.  Nothing's really built up in our area just yet, still mostly east of Double Springs Rd. where all of the new spec house subdivisions are going up, but there's a few neighborhoods like that south on Harmon Rd. that have been there a little while now.  Only development in our neighborhood was a developer snapping up a property across Harmon Rd. from one of the entrances into our little community tried to put through a red dirt mine, but the old hippies banded together to put a stop to it.  Normally wouldn't object to anyone trying to get value out of their land, but convoys of dump trucks trying to climb that hill dumping rock at 7MPH just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, particularly with traffic coming down that steep hill around a blind corner with dump trucks turning on.  Anyway, it's stopped, at least for now.  Eventually development will be right next door, but hopefully not for 15 more years at least.  Like to get the kids through college first before picking up shop.

MikieTimT

Quote from: Bobby5280 on December 21, 2018, 10:36:02 AM
An Interstate quality link between Tulsa and Springdale would be a reaction to development growth and increases in traffic that has already happened.

It's another point of debate whether such an Interstate connection should be extended farther East. IMHO, upgrading the US-412 corridor across Northern Arkansas to Interstate standards is unnecessary. Some of the 2-lane segments might be worth upgrading to 4 lanes.

As far as highways in NE Arkansas go the I-57 project would be the biggest priority, followed by extending I-555 to Walnut Ridge and then (long term) extending up into Missouri to patch into the US-60 corridor on the way to Springfield. That's a more significant East-West corridor than US-412 across Northern Arkansas. It's a lot farther along in the process of being upgraded into an Interstate class facility.

I completely agree.  Just don't see much progress east of Huntsville for the next 15 years or so, though.

sparker

^^^^^^^^
As far as future development of the US 412 (BTW, it's also HPC #8, so while hardly funded, is at least directly eligible for federal matching) corridor goes, I can see an Interstate-grade Tulsa-to-I-49 connection happening in the next 15-20 years, and possibly a 4-lane expressway with at-grade intersections from there east to US 65 -- i.e., upgrading the E-W access to the NWA/I-49 corridor.  East from there, it'll probably be a mixture of mostly 2-lane highway, albeit with realignment of some of the older stretches and several passing lanes, with 4-lane sections (or the infamous Arkansas 5-lane) in and around communities; that configuration would likely continue east to Walnut Ridge.  East across the flatlands into the MO bootheel, US 412 would likely get a mixture of divided expressway and 2-lanes with quite a few passing lanes (although some would prefer an Interstate-grade facility connecting with I-155, that's not likely to happen given the push for I-57 toward Poplar Bluff).  Upshot: east of US 65, it'll remain pretty much the same but with spot enhancements. 

rte66man

#2335
Quote from: sparker on December 21, 2018, 03:39:14 PM
^^^^^^^^
As far as future development of the US 412 (BTW, it's also HPC #8, so while hardly funded, is at least directly eligible for federal matching) corridor goes, I can see an Interstate-grade Tulsa-to-I-49 connection happening in the next 15-20 years...... 

Oklahoma is VERY incrementally upgrading 412 east of Tulsa to a freeway:
http://www.odot.org/cwp-8-year-plan/cwp_ffy2019-ffy2026/8_year_cwp_divisiontul_map.pdf

The intersection at 412P is scheduled to become an interchange in 2026.  :banghead:

Getting OK and AR to agree on a Siloam Springs bypass might be problematic.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

The Ghostbuster

Will these incremental US 412 upgrades be tolled? Will they be free of charge? Or have they not decided which route they will go yet (tolled or free)?

MikieTimT

Quote from: rte66man on December 22, 2018, 12:33:02 PM
Quote from: sparker on December 21, 2018, 03:39:14 PM
^^^^^^^^
As far as future development of the US 412 (BTW, it's also HPC #8, so while hardly funded, is at least directly eligible for federal matching) corridor goes, I can see an Interstate-grade Tulsa-to-I-49 connection happening in the next 15-20 years...... 

Oklahoma is VERY incrementally upgrading 412 east of Tulsa to a freeway:
http://www.odot.org/cwp-8-year-plan/cwp_ffy2019-ffy2026/8_year_cwp_divisiontul_map.pdf

The intersection at 412P is scheduled to become and interchange in 2026.  :banghead:

Getting OK and AR to agree on a Siloam Springs bypass might be problematic.

It's definitely got the makings of another Bella Vista Bypass debacle, except Bella Vista actually wanted to be bypassed.

By the way, just drove all of the current Bella Vista Bypass yesterday.  Looks like they've made very good progress on the northbound carriageway in regards to earth moving.  Except for the southern mile and a half from the traffic circle, they've got most of earth moving for the road base leveled out except for one spot next to an overpass.  They have 2 of the bridges started and I took a dash video using my phone of all of the Benton County construction spots up to the first AR 72 exit northbound if anyone cares to see the current status of the projects via video.  Right now they're just on my Google drive, but I can figure out another spot to host them for the sake of posting links here.  I just don't want my real-life name out on the interwebs, and the current method I have them saved would leak that out.

Plutonic Panda

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 22, 2018, 02:46:24 PM
Will these incremental US 412 upgrades be tolled? Will they be free of charge? Or have they not decided which route they will go yet (tolled or free)?
Hopefully they won't be tolled. Tulsa and NE Oklahoma needs a break from tolls. Once they're done with the turner turnpike between OKC and Tulsa widening, it'd be nice to see them remove all tolls on I-44 from Tulsa to Missouri state line.

I-39

What is going on with the I-49 Arkansas River bridge? Haven't heard anything in a while.

US71

Quote from: I-39 on December 23, 2018, 09:40:41 AM
What is going on with the I-49 Arkansas River bridge? Haven't heard anything in a while.

Nothing. "No money". All talk, no action.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Gordon

040748 Crawford & Sebastian I-49 Hwy. 22 - I-40 (Arkansas River) (S) Project Development 13.56 miles  $9,700 - TOTAL State 2020 FRONTIER. This is on the STIP for 2020 but they had money left over allotted to start the 2017 so hopefully they will continue the engineering. The environmental was done and Bennett said they would look into a section of road at a time. But I think only engineering until 2022 Because no money.

rte66man

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on December 23, 2018, 02:50:20 AM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 22, 2018, 02:46:24 PM
Will these incremental US 412 upgrades be tolled? Will they be free of charge? Or have they not decided which route they will go yet (tolled or free)?
Hopefully they won't be tolled. Tulsa and NE Oklahoma needs a break from tolls. Once they're done with the turner turnpike between OKC and Tulsa widening, it'd be nice to see them remove all tolls on I-44 from Tulsa to Missouri state line.

Since they will be using the existing carriageways (which were built in the 70's on a new alignment), they won't be tolled, at least from Tulsa to Chouteau where the Cherokee Turnpike begins.  Can't say they won't to get around Siloam Springs.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

US71

Quote from: rte66man on December 24, 2018, 10:19:18 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on December 23, 2018, 02:50:20 AM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 22, 2018, 02:46:24 PM
Will these incremental US 412 upgrades be tolled? Will they be free of charge? Or have they not decided which route they will go yet (tolled or free)?
Hopefully they won't be tolled. Tulsa and NE Oklahoma needs a break from tolls. Once they're done with the turner turnpike between OKC and Tulsa widening, it'd be nice to see them remove all tolls on I-44 from Tulsa to Missouri state line.

Since they will be using the existing carriageways (which were built in the 70's on a new alignment), they won't be tolled, at least from Tulsa to Chouteau where the Cherokee Turnpike begins.  Can't say they won't to get around Siloam Springs.
The divided carriageway ends just as you enter West Siloam Springs, so that would make a good spot for a Siloam Springs Bypass....provided the area isn't overbuilt.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

MikieTimT

#2344
Quote from: US71 on December 24, 2018, 11:04:53 AM
Quote from: rte66man on December 24, 2018, 10:19:18 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on December 23, 2018, 02:50:20 AM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 22, 2018, 02:46:24 PM
Will these incremental US 412 upgrades be tolled? Will they be free of charge? Or have they not decided which route they will go yet (tolled or free)?
Hopefully they won't be tolled. Tulsa and NE Oklahoma needs a break from tolls. Once they're done with the turner turnpike between OKC and Tulsa widening, it'd be nice to see them remove all tolls on I-44 from Tulsa to Missouri state line.

Since they will be using the existing carriageways (which were built in the 70's on a new alignment), they won't be tolled, at least from Tulsa to Chouteau where the Cherokee Turnpike begins.  Can't say they won't to get around Siloam Springs.
The divided carriageway ends just as you enter West Siloam Springs, so that would make a good spot for a Siloam Springs Bypass....provided the area isn't overbuilt.

The tricky thing with Siloam Springs is that to the south, the terrain is all hollows emptying down toward the Illinois River valley several miles to the south, which is difficult terrain to build through.  You can see it pretty easily with Satellite View on Google Maps.  The north side would be much easier, terrain-wise, but you have to go about 2-3 miles north with a bypass to get around the university and the higher end residential areas on the north side of town close to the lake and country club.  A bypass taken right at the end of the current median separated expressway would pretty much have to take a straight 2 mile north leg even before starting back east without taking a great deal of residential development, much of it pricier than the average for the rest of town.  If it isn't bypassed within the next 10-15 years, there's going to be a spillover of growth from the I-49 corridor out that way and make it much harder and more expensive, or take the bypass further out, which obviously reduces the time saved with the increased mileage.

Bobby5280

If a new bypass split from the Cherokee Turnpike just a bit West of its current terminus near Dripping Springs it could follow along or near Flint Creek and bypass North of Siloam Springs. Of course things get tricky once the highway gets into Arkansas. Dawn Hill Country Club is next to Siloam Springs Lake. Probably not going to be able plow a freeway through that. But there are (for now) possible routes for attaching the road to the US-412 bypass currently under construction.

galador

Gov. Hutchinson appoints Keith Gibson of Fort Smith to Arkansas Highway Commission

Maybe this is some good news for getting some funding to build the bridge? /wishful thinking

O Tamandua

Quote from: galador on January 03, 2019, 11:47:32 AM
Gov. Hutchinson appoints Keith Gibson of Fort Smith to Arkansas Highway Commission

Maybe this is some good news for getting some funding to build the bridge? /wishful thinking

Boy, there seem to be multiple people being wishful.  If this man can help the I-49 Arkansas River bridge be built, that will put all the pressure necessary on building Greenwood-to-Texarkana.  From the article:

QuoteThe last full-term highway commissioner from the Fort Smith region was Jake Patterson, appointed in the Rockefeller administration in 1969.

Hutchinson said repeatedly while campaigning for reelection in 2018 that the next highway commissioner would come from "south of the mountain"  and from the (Arkansas) River valley, noting that a commissioner from the Fort Smith area was very important to the region even though he would be responsible for meeting the needs of the entire state.

State Senator Mat Pitsch of Fort Smith said the appointment of a commissioner from Fort Smith was "huge."

"When you have five guys in a room determining where you are going to build the biggest economic driver we have, which is new roads, new transportation, and now one of those five men is from our hometown, that's huge. We've worked the last four years to make this happen,"  Pitsch said, noting that he hopes the appointment could push development of I-49 and all transportation, including rail, river and roads, in the area.

I-49, the north-south corridor that originates in Lafayette, Louisiana, runs through the western flank of Arkansas, and stretches north to Kansas City, Missouri has been a major funding challenge for the Fort Smith region. The southern stretch of the Arkansas portion of the interstate has come up short in funding for decades. Recently, the northwest Arkansas portion of the road known as the Bella Vista Bypass received funding to complete.

Gibson's appointment will raise expectations for the southern stretch of I-49. He was cautious in his comments on the issue at Wednesday's press conference.

"It is certainly something I want to look at closely. I look forward to learning more specifics about it,"  he said. "I know it's critically important to a lot of people in this area, so that is something I want to look at closely."


Tim Allen, Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, said Gibson's appointment will create new opportunities for the region.

"Governor Hutchinson's appointment of Keith Gibson to the Arkansas Highway Commission is further endorsement that Fort Smith and western Arkansas are indeed open for business, and that the state is watching. The region is primed for high-powered growth with the transportation infrastructure we already have in place and the potential development being discussed,"  Allen said. "The Fort Smith region plays a crucial role in advanced manufacturing logistics and having Keith's voice in discussions regarding highway progress will set the stage for additional economic expansion."

O Tamandua

...and even though an interstate road doesn't always bring change there is this other entry in Talk Business (actually, there are a few of them though some are in the "looking back at 2018" category):

QuoteAs I travel the state, I often talk about Interstate 49. I don't think there is a better example than I-49 of a road anywhere that truly changed a region. It's well designed, and it's a beautiful ride on a fall afternoon. But the real value of I-49 is it connected a group of diverse and growing communities and made them a region. A real region where communities understand what is good for one community is good for all.

It's the backbone of a part of the state where large and small businesses thrive, where school districts outperform the rest of the state, and where the number of tourists coming here increases monthly.

https://talkbusiness.net/2019/01/random-thoughts-sitting-in-traffic-at-rainbow-curve/

O Tamandua

To me, this wording is sort of gobbledygook, but it's likely just me.  :-D  The picture atop the article (and the number of shares) tells me the thing that's atop a lot more people's minds than we know, especially given these mysterious "contingencies" from Louisiana firms.  The words in bold below seem to echo Chaffee Crossing's Ivy Owen when he said he expects to be able to drive on the I-49 Ark River bridge in his lifetime:

QuoteLooking at bigger projects, Pitsch told the board that ARDOT Director Scott Bennett had a study done on the feasibility of a bridge and a roughly 13-mile section of I-49 north of Fort Chaffee that would connect Highway 22 in Sebastian County and the I-40/I-49 interchange in Crawford County to be a toll system. The timing for that section of the interstate would have to be started within the next five years, he said.

"No one wanted to commit to a 13-mile section, but by doing it the way he did, he could see who might be interested in a toll contract on the highway without having to commit to starting the entire project,"  Pitsch said. "It was a very smart way to do it. We don't know if any of the (interstate) will be toll, but by using funds for the study, it was a commitment that construction on that section would have to be started within five years."

https://talkbusiness.net/2019/01/western-arkansas-intermodal-authority-updates-on-greenwood-bypass-i-49-north-of-fort-chaffee/



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