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Does anyone else get the impression that Interstate 69 in Arkansas, when more of it is eventually built, will be an underutilized freeway? Since the only significantly-populated towns 69 will go past are El Dorado and Monticello, future 69 may not need more than two lanes total.
I'm skeptical I-69 will ever be completed thru Arkansas and Mississippi. The Feds would pretty much have to cover all of Mississippi's obligation. Meanwhile Arkansas has more important fish to fry in other parts of the state. I-49 and I-57 are far more plausible, realistic projects to finish.The fact the proposed I-69 route offers little if any mileage savings versus the I-30/I-40 combo would more than likely depress traffic counts on the highway. There will be far less road-side services along I-69 than I-30 or I-40 for a long time. And it seems like a sure bet the Great River Bridge will carry a pretty hefty toll. The proposed bridge's cost is now tipping the scales over $2 billion. I'd be shocked if it was built as a free-to-cross structure. Meanwhile, IIRC, I-40 has no tolls on it for its entire length. I-30 is free with the exception of express lanes in the DFW area.
If funding is an issue for I-69 Mississippi River Bridge, why isn't US 82/US 278 Greenville bridge used to connect both states?
In addition to the aforementioned projects for I-49 and I-57, I would suspect that ArDOT would prioritize widening I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock over I-69.
Quote from: Bobby5280 on July 12, 2023, 11:10:01 AMI'm skeptical I-69 will ever be completed thru Arkansas and Mississippi. The Feds would pretty much have to cover all of Mississippi's obligation. Meanwhile Arkansas has more important fish to fry in other parts of the state. I-49 and I-57 are far more plausible, realistic projects to finish.The fact the proposed I-69 route offers little if any mileage savings versus the I-30/I-40 combo would more than likely depress traffic counts on the highway. There will be far less road-side services along I-69 than I-30 or I-40 for a long time. And it seems like a sure bet the Great River Bridge will carry a pretty hefty toll. The proposed bridge's cost is now tipping the scales over $2 billion. I'd be shocked if it was built as a free-to-cross structure. Meanwhile, IIRC, I-40 has no tolls on it for its entire length. I-30 is free with the exception of express lanes in the DFW area.In addition to the aforementioned projects for I-49 and I-57, I would suspect that ArDOT would prioritize widening I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock over I-69. The recently-completed new bridge that carries I-40 over the White River has been built to accommodate three travel lanes in each direction, plus full inside and outside shoulders, although the bridge is currently striped for two lanes each way.
Quote from: abqtraveler on July 12, 2023, 01:17:17 PMQuote from: Bobby5280 on July 12, 2023, 11:10:01 AMI'm skeptical I-69 will ever be completed thru Arkansas and Mississippi. The Feds would pretty much have to cover all of Mississippi's obligation. Meanwhile Arkansas has more important fish to fry in other parts of the state. I-49 and I-57 are far more plausible, realistic projects to finish.The fact the proposed I-69 route offers little if any mileage savings versus the I-30/I-40 combo would more than likely depress traffic counts on the highway. There will be far less road-side services along I-69 than I-30 or I-40 for a long time. And it seems like a sure bet the Great River Bridge will carry a pretty hefty toll. The proposed bridge's cost is now tipping the scales over $2 billion. I'd be shocked if it was built as a free-to-cross structure. Meanwhile, IIRC, I-40 has no tolls on it for its entire length. I-30 is free with the exception of express lanes in the DFW area.In addition to the aforementioned projects for I-49 and I-57, I would suspect that ArDOT would prioritize widening I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock over I-69. The recently-completed new bridge that carries I-40 over the White River has been built to accommodate three travel lanes in each direction, plus full inside and outside shoulders, although the bridge is currently striped for two lanes each way.I-40 has 2023-2026 STIP items for 6 laning from the I-55 concurrency in West Memphis (Exit 277) in West Memphis to the Jennette exit (Exit 265) and for the LR end from I-440 (Exit 159) to Kerr Rd. (Exit 165). That leaves 100 miles in between to grow the ends toward the middle eventually, but unlikely to happen completely for decades at this rate barring some earmark love unless LOS decay/AADT counts mandates otherwise. Good news is that other than a handful of overpasses that may be narrow on the underside and one of the St. Francis River bridges, most of the rest of the bridging is already wide enough. Just will need to build some wider berms through the ricelands.