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I-555 - New Work in Jonesboro

Started by edwaleni, April 28, 2022, 10:22:19 AM

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cjk374

Quote from: US71 on May 21, 2022, 12:59:47 PM
Quote from: cjk374 on May 21, 2022, 10:40:12 AM
The rule of ARDOT: if a US highway runs concurrent with an interstate highway, there shall be no mention of the US highway's existence (with the exception of I-530's very southern end mentioning I-530/US 63/US 65/US 79).

Overheads must be an exception.



I did forget about some overheads. The I-530/US 167 junctions shows all of the US highways in play.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.5652127,-92.2721752,3a,75y,59.88h,90.03t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sVZjFXyMbkjsqfvE6gprHlA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DVZjFXyMbkjsqfvE6gprHlA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D150.2904%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.


US71

Of course, IMO, this is merely window dressing. Nothing is really changing except a few signs.  I don't see whey 555  has to be extended. It's not like you're going from one road to another.  ARDOT does strange things, sometimes.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

edwaleni


The Ghostbuster

Are they planning to expand Interstate 555 in Jonesboro to six lanes?

Bobby5280

It sounds like the study is only covering improvements to interchanges in Jonesboro. A 3x3 upgrade certain seems possible though. There is enough room to expand into the median.

Jonesboro has been growing significantly over the past couple decades. The city had 55,515 people in the 2000 Census and 78,576 in the 2020 Census. The 2023 estimate is 81,969. Metro pop is 135,287. That kind of growth should point toward a need to further improve the I-555 corridor as well as US-63 going NW out of Jonesboro. I think I-555 should be extended farther NW to Walnut Ridge. That could connect into whatever improvements AR DOT ultimately makes with the US-412 corridor.

edwaleni

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 22, 2023, 04:16:38 PM
It sounds like the study is only covering improvements to interchanges in Jonesboro. A 3x3 upgrade certain seems possible though. There is enough room to expand into the median.

Jonesboro has been growing significantly over the past couple decades. The city had 55,515 people in the 2000 Census and 78,576 in the 2020 Census. The 2023 estimate is 81,969. Metro pop is 135,287. That kind of growth should point toward a need to further improve the I-555 corridor as well as US-63 going NW out of Jonesboro. I think I-555 should be extended farther NW to Walnut Ridge. That could connect into whatever improvements AR DOT ultimately makes with the US-412 corridor.

I suspect that until I-57 (US-67) is completed between Walnut Ridge AR and Sikeston, MO the majority of traffic out of Jonesboro is either west (to Little Rock via Cash Road) or southeast (to Memphis via I-555).

While Pocahontas has large plans for supporting logistics and warehousing once I-57 is done, my gut feeling is that many of them will end up in Walnut Ridge simply due to the intersection of several arterials and this will generate more truck traffic to Jonesboro in the long term to/from the NW.

Bobby5280

Walnut Ridge is most definitely in a better location for things like giant logistics warehouses. I think that's because US-63 could turn into a pretty important route on its own. There is a diagonal line that I-22 starts in Birmingham up to Memphis. I-555 continues that diagonal line. US-63 continues that up into Southern Missouri where it merges into the US-60 corridor. And that's another corridor that could eventually be turned into an Interstate-class route. US-60 is currently 4-lane divided nearly all the way between Springfield and Sikeston. It has some existing limited access segments. It was targeted as the corridor of choice for that I-66 project that was never realized. Still, I can see that corridor being fully limited access.

Beyond US-60 and Springfield there's the US-400 corridor from Joplin to Wichita. An actual Interstate might (hopefully) take a more direct path.

edwaleni

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 23, 2023, 11:00:36 PM
Walnut Ridge is most definitely in a better location for things like giant logistics warehouses. I think that's because US-63 could turn into a pretty important route on its own. There is a diagonal line that I-22 starts in Birmingham up to Memphis. I-555 continues that diagonal line. US-63 continues that up into Southern Missouri where it merges into the US-60 corridor. And that's another corridor that could eventually be turned into an Interstate-class route. US-60 is currently 4-lane divided nearly all the way between Springfield and Sikeston. It has some existing limited access segments. It was targeted as the corridor of choice for that I-66 project that was never realized. Still, I can see that corridor being fully limited access.

Beyond US-60 and Springfield there's the US-400 corridor from Joplin to Wichita. An actual Interstate might (hopefully) take a more direct path.

Yes, when I drive to Springfield MO from Florida, I take that route you just outlined (I-22 to Memphis, I-555 to Jonesboro, US63/US60 to Springfield) so I understand your thinking.

Only 1 bad section and that is the part from Hardy to Thayer. The rest is all manageable.

Bobby5280

I'd actually like to see I-22 extended farther Southeast from Birmingham down to Columbus, GA and then follow Corridor Z (GA-520) thru Albany to Tifton at least, if not to Waycross and down to Jacksonville. On the bright side routes like US-82/GA-520 across GA and US-280 from Columbus to Birmingham is mostly 4-lane divided. Still, it's not Interstate quality (speed zones, some traffic lights, etc).

Back in Arkansas, AR DOT may end up 4-laning all of US-412/US-63 from Walnut Ridge up to Hardy. The Hardy to Thayer segment is pretty hilly. That would probably be the last segment tackled if US-63 got serious upgrades between Walnut Ridge and Willow Springs, MO.

splashflash

Could the route instead head north to Pocahontas and then northwest along some state highways?  This could avoid some of the hillier areas.  Perhaps AR-90 and 93 and MO BB to Myrtle and MO-142bveyond that?

Bobby5280

Either choice would require a lot of grading work and some hillside cuts. US-63 has the advantage of hitting more significant towns along the way and generally being the most direct route from Walnut Ridge to Springfield, MO.

Henry

IIRC, they once had I-730 ready to go if I-30 had been extended northeast, but now that's a no-go thanks in part to I-57's southwestern extension. And also, AR 226 was to be either upgraded or paralleled by the now-dead freeway, and with I-555 planned to go even further beyond Jonesboro, there appears to be no need to do anything with AR 226.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

Rothman

Been so long since I was in the area that it was when US 67's freeway ended at AR 226.

I need to get out more.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

The Ghostbuster

I always thought the Interstate 730 upgrade was likely overkill to the AR 226 corridor. Does AR 226 really need an Interstate upgrade? Even if the upgrade were constructed, it would likely now have to be Interstate 157. That probably would not require the renumbering of existing AR 157, since the two routes would be far enough apart to avoid confusion.

MikieTimT

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on October 26, 2023, 11:44:09 AM
I always thought the Interstate 730 upgrade was likely overkill to the AR 226 corridor. Does AR 226 really need an Interstate upgrade? Even if the upgrade were constructed, it would likely now have to be Interstate 157. That probably would not require the renumbering of existing AR 157, since the two routes would be far enough apart to avoid confusion.

US-49 is a 5-lane until US-49 splits off south of Jonesboro, then AR-226 picks up as a 4 lane divided highway until US-67/Future I-57.  Given the traffic counts and need for farm machinery to use the road, I would think it would be quite some time before there is anything else done to that stretch.

bugo

Quote from: Henry on October 25, 2023, 10:14:52 PM
IIRC, they once had I-730 ready to go if I-30 had been extended northeast, but now that's a no-go thanks in part to I-57's southwestern extension. And also, AR 226 was to be either upgraded or paralleled by the now-dead freeway, and with I-555 planned to go even further beyond Jonesboro, there appears to be no need to do anything with AR 226.

Sure there is! Make a US highway out of it!

Road Hog

My understanding in the past was that AHTD (now ARDOT) contracted out interstate signage to a private vendor. That's why state shields on the off ramp looked different than department spec. May still do so, haven't been looking for it lately, but next time I'm up there I'll check.

Wayward Memphian

The Triple Nickle needs extended to future I-57 from Bay over to the end of the 4 lane at Valley View that's upgrade to Interstate standard. At least acquire the ROW for it near term. US 49 needs rerouted down Ark 1 since US shares that route down to Brinkley now.



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