I-30 in Texarkana to be upgraded to 6 lanes from state line to I-49

Started by MikieTimT, October 12, 2024, 10:04:54 AM

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MikieTimT

Finally, some I-30 upgrades in Arkansas that aren't in the LR metro area.

Texas State Line to Interstate 49 (Interstate 30)

AADT numbers around 37K with a high proportion of truck traffic, so sorely needed.


froggie

Useful, sure, but I wouldn't call it dire or sorely needed.  Not when there are stretches of 40 that have both higher truck volumes and higher overall traffic.

Road Hog

I-30 is a breeze compared to I-40 between NLR and Memphis.

MikieTimT

And I-40 is getting the 6 lane treatment at both ends between Memphis and Little Rock and will likely work toward the middle.  Not on any timeline that satisfies any of us, but they've got to spread the construction work around the state anyway to keep the taxpayers happy, and this is the segment of I-30 most in need that isn't in Little Rock.

Road Hog

I would be completely in favor of intermittent passing lanes at intervals on both I-30 and I-40 in Arkansas, just to break up the logjams. I would prefer that to building from both ends, because the middle is the problem.

MikieTimT

Agreed.  Unfortunately, the way this stuff gets funded, they seem to put the money where the AADT is first on interstates.  Arkansas does this with US highways and major state highways, especially in the northwest half of the state where the otherwise 2 lane roads can go almost 10 miles at a time without a decently long passing zone due to the terrain.  Neither I-30 nor I-40 need climb lanes since they are built pretty much on river valleys or coastal timberlands, but passing lanes every 8-10 miles would hugely alleviate the rolling roadblocks, but only if the leftmost lanes have a prohibition on combination vehicles.

Anthony_JK

Maybe the prevailing thought with ARDOT is that once US 67 from NLR to Popular Bluff is finished and converted into I-57, that solves the problem of congestion on I-40 between NLR and Memphis? Especially since an upgraded US 67/I-57 would bypass Memphis altogether? 

MikieTimT

Quote from: Anthony_JK on October 15, 2024, 04:12:16 PMMaybe the prevailing thought with ARDOT is that once US 67 from NLR to Popular Bluff is finished and converted into I-57, that solves the problem of congestion on I-40 between NLR and Memphis? Especially since an upgraded US 67/I-57 would bypass Memphis altogether?

It would help certainly with offloading midwestern destined goods and traffic, but not so much for mid-continental traffic headed to the northeast or south.

Still, it probably accomplishes more than just adding a 3rd lane in each carriageway from LR to Memphis, which is going to eventually happen anyway.  I personally wouldn't look forward to any trip up I-55 or I-57 from I-40 as both would be mindnumbing until about 30 miles north of Sikeston.

dariusb

This is needed especially as the Texarkana area continues to grow and traffic from Little Rock to Dallas and vice versa continues to increase.
It's a new day for a new beginning.

Great Lakes Roads

If TxDOT is doing their portion of the widening within the Texarkana metro area, then ARDOT should do their portion as well!
-Jay Seaburg

Road Hog

Just anecdotally speaking, I never run into backups on the Arkansas side coming or going. The slowdowns are all on the Texas side.

bwana39

Quote from: Anthony_JK on October 15, 2024, 04:12:16 PMMaybe the prevailing thought with ARDOT is that once US 67 from NLR to Popular Bluff is finished and converted into I-57, that solves the problem of congestion on I-40 between NLR and Memphis? Especially since an upgraded US 67/I-57 would bypass Memphis altogether?

I-55 pretty much bypasses Memphis itself.  It doesn't help much that I-57 versus I-55 is no savings of miles. The I-57 in Arkansas idea was LRA to St Louis and that is still far out on the Horizon.
Let's build what we need as economically as possible.

MikieTimT

Quote from: bwana39 on October 31, 2024, 09:13:03 AM
Quote from: Anthony_JK on October 15, 2024, 04:12:16 PMMaybe the prevailing thought with ARDOT is that once US 67 from NLR to Popular Bluff is finished and converted into I-57, that solves the problem of congestion on I-40 between NLR and Memphis? Especially since an upgraded US 67/I-57 would bypass Memphis altogether?

I-55 pretty much bypasses Memphis itself.  It doesn't help much that I-57 versus I-55 is no savings of miles. The I-57 in Arkansas idea was LRA to St Louis and that is still far out on the Horizon.

It is currently a savings of 13 miles and 3 minutes (as of the mid-afternoon time I checked Google Maps from the US-67 split east of LR to Sikeston, MO vs. I-40/I-55 to the same spot), so it is a small (not no savings as you stated) savings of mileage to use US-67 currently, but not much time savings yet with US-67 currently slogging on 2 lane through towns between Walnut Ridge and Poplar Bluff.  The time and perhaps even a tiny bit of mileage will be further saved with I-57 completed, so that will draw some traffic off the overcrowded I-40 segment between LR and West Memphis.  I don't think anyone asserted that northbound I-55 traffic hit Memphis proper, but West Memphis is pretty congested even a good ways west of I-55N.  It's not just trips from LR to St. Louis that would save this time and mileage, but also LR to Chicago or any of the big metros along and north of I-64, eastbound along I-70, I-80, and I-90 until you hit the Appalachians/Blue Ridge Mtns., at which I-81 NE becomes more appealing by continuing on I-40 through Tennessee.

dariusb

Quote from: Road Hog on October 30, 2024, 04:38:03 PMJust anecdotally speaking, I never run into backups on the Arkansas side coming or going. The slowdowns are all on the Texas side.
True. I guess they're also widening on the Arkansas side to keep the 6 lane TX section from just abruptly ending once crossing the state line and also anticipating major congestion in the future?
It's a new day for a new beginning.

Road Hog

Quote from: dariusb on October 31, 2024, 05:00:21 PM
Quote from: Road Hog on October 30, 2024, 04:38:03 PMJust anecdotally speaking, I never run into backups on the Arkansas side coming or going. The slowdowns are all on the Texas side.
True. I guess they're also widening on the Arkansas side to keep the 6 lane TX section from just abruptly ending once crossing the state line and also anticipating major congestion in the future?
Right now the right lane coming into AR turns into an exit-only ramp for Exit 1 (Jefferson Avenue). That was part of the original project 2010-ish that expanded the freeway on the TX side but bled over across the state line.



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