Arkansas

[roadwaywiz95]

For this upcoming weekend's Webinar presentation, we'll be taking a look at the freeway system of the state of Arkansas, with the focus on the Little Rock metropolitan area. Coverage will begin on Saturday (1/13) at 6 PM ET and will feature live contributions from members of this forum; we hope to see you there!

[Road Hog]

For this upcoming weekend's Webinar presentation, we'll be taking a look at the freeway system of the state of Arkansas, with the focus on the Little Rock metropolitan area. Coverage will begin on Saturday (1/13) at 6 PM ET and will feature live contributions from members of this forum; we hope to see you there!

Never realized until now that Little Rock has six different I-shields. Soon to be seven if I-57 gets approval.

[ilpt4u]

For this upcoming weekend's Webinar presentation, we'll be taking a look at the freeway system of the state of Arkansas, with the focus on the Little Rock metropolitan area. Coverage will begin on Saturday (1/13) at 6 PM ET and will feature live contributions from members of this forum; we hope to see you there!

Never realized until now that Little Rock has six different I-shields. Soon to be seven if I-57 gets approval constructed/finished/signed.

Pretty sure 57 already has approval via Congress, just needs MO&AR to build/upgrade the necessary segments. And thats all I'll say here as 57 has its own thread, titled "I-57 Approved" fwiw: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=21289.0

[Road Hog]

For this upcoming weekend's Webinar presentation, we'll be taking a look at the freeway system of the state of Arkansas, with the focus on the Little Rock metropolitan area. Coverage will begin on Saturday (1/13) at 6 PM ET and will feature live contributions from members of this forum; we hope to see you there!

Never realized until now that Little Rock has six different I-shields. Soon to be seven if I-57 gets approval constructed/finished/signed.

Pretty sure 57 already has approval via Congress, just needs MO&AR to build/upgrade the necessary segments. And thats all I'll say here as 57 has its own thread, titled "I-57 Approved" fwiw: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=21289.0

Yes, I'm well aware of the thread as well as the (highly conditional) approval. Appreciate the clarification.

[MikieTimT]

The seemingly eternal I-30 expansion in Saline County is fixing to shift gears it seems.  ARDOT has had enough of the contractor delays and is fixing to start looking for another.

https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/ardot-recommends-putting-company-working-on-saline-co-i-30-project-into-default-of-contract/

[Tomahawkin]

They are still working on IH 30 SW of the 440 interchange? If so Cheesewhiz! For a Project to take that long I would have wanted to see 10 lanes total in that area and 6 lanes total all the way to Hot Springs. AR DOT must have hired the same trash Contractor that GDOT did? One Project here in Atlanta ( IH 285/SR 400 interchange rebuild) was supposed to take 6 years. It ended up turning into nearly 10...

[MikieTimT]

The project started May '19 and was supposed to be done Nov. '22.  When Apr. '23 came and went, they started the penalties, so they haven't been paying them for almost a year now.  Jan. '25 is their new guess, so ARDOT had enough.  The next Arkansas Highway Commission meeting has this as a topic as well and will make the final call to hold them in default and look for a replacement.

[Road Hog]

It has taken this stretch almost 5 years now and they're not close to done. This is a little 5-mile segment.

It didn't take more than about 5 or 6 years to get I-30 6-laned from Geyer Springs Road all the way to Benton.

Ridiculous malfeasance. Hopefully someone gets fired.

The biggest thing was probably the bridge over the Saline River, and I believe that is done or close to it. The rest of the grading and buildup has been paiiiiiinnnnnfully slow.

[Tomahawkin]

In regards to the last 2 posts! That is disgusting! I'm baffled that it is happening in a high priority corridor and in the Suburbs of The Rock... Someone should be fired. OT I have been saying this for 20+ years. Arkansas needs toll roads to fund these projects! Especially The completion of IH 49

[MikieTimT]

This particular issue isn't due to funding, but contractor clearly underestimating the resources to complete the project that they won the bid on.  This is fixing to result in the contractor's insurance having to pay out on the bond they had to put up and another contractor selected.  Covid was the excuse for a couple of years, but that ship has long sailed.

[MikieTimT]

ARDOT Set to Receive an Additional $91 Million in Federal Funding for Six Projects

$67 million for Interstate 49 between Barling and Alma, and the rest split as follows:

$6 million for the Future Interstate 57 from Walnut Ridge to the Missouri State Line;
$5 million for the Highway 10 Greenwood Bypass;
$5 million for Highway 82 Corridor improvements in Ashley, Chicot, Columbia, and Union Counties;
$5 million for Highway 412 Corridor improvements of the portion that interfaces with Interstate 49;
$3 million for Highway 412 Corridor improvements in northern Arkansas.

[CtrlAltDel]

Does anyone know if stretch of US-71 in Texarkana along King Boulevard or 7th Street is officially included in the state's mileage for the route? It doesn't seem like it is:

[Road Hog]

That would be a huge move to delete a US highway in the middle of a city and make it non-contiguous, but it would be on-brand for ARDOT.

[bwana39]

Does anyone know if stretch of US-71 in Texarkana along King Boulevard or 7th Street is officially included in the state's mileage for the route? It doesn't seem like it is:

There is not a mileage figure from the O point at Hickory / East to the 0 point at the state line. It is however on the inventory for at least one of them. US67, 82. and 71 run concurrently at this point.

US-71 in Texarkana has a mixed up history. Back in the early 1990's the NEW US-71 (I-49 eventually) was supposed to go from approximately the US-71 @I-49 intersection to US-59 and on to I-30 and north through Pleasant Grove (about where ORR Chevrolet is now.) The projected ROW except for ORR was still mostly vacant until the past decade. The past decade has seen it developing pretty fully.

When Mike Huckabee was Governor, this all changed. In spite of TxDOT having built the freeway from the state line to I-30,  Arkansas took it on their own to build I-49 around the East Side of Texarkana (in Arkansas.) I believe that ArDOT maintains their side of State Line Blvd from 7th to a break north of I-30. The only portion on the Texas inventory is from what appears to be the part from Either 7th or Hazel to I-30. The part north of I-30 is inventoried only for US-59 by Texas.

https://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/us/us0071.htm  This is an interesting and never updated entry...

So where does Hazel come into all of this? The signs direct the US-71 traffic along Hazel from MLK and to 7th for US-71.

[CtrlAltDel]

There is not a mileage figure from the O point at Hickory / East to the 0 point at the state line. It is however on the inventory for at least one of them. US67, 82. and 71 run concurrently at this point.

US-71 in Texarkana has a mixed up history. Back in the early 1990's the NEW US-71 (I-49 eventually) was supposed to go from approximately the US-71 @I-49 intersection to US-59 and on to I-30 and north through Pleasant Grove (about where ORR Chevrolet is now.) The projected ROW except for ORR was still mostly vacant until the past decade. The past decade has seen it developing pretty fully.

When Mike Huckabee was Governor, this all changed. In spite of TxDOT having built the freeway from the state line to I-30,  Arkansas took it on their own to build I-49 around the East Side of Texarkana (in Arkansas.) I believe that ArDOT maintains their side of State Line Blvd from 7th to a break north of I-30. The only portion on the Texas inventory is from what appears to be the part from Either 7th or Hazel to I-30. The part north of I-30 is inventoried only for US-59 by Texas.

https://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/us/us0071.htm  This is an interesting and never updated entry...

So where does Hazel come into all of this? The signs direct the US-71 traffic along Hazel from MLK and to 7th for US-71.

Fascinating, thanks!

[roadman65]

Does AR 12 follow I-49 between exits 85 and 86 like the way the guide signs state here?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cwi3YyYpeGfinRnB8
Or does it follow AR 94 EB to US 71 Business through Downtown Rogers?

[MikieTimT]

Does AR 12 follow I-49 between exits 85 and 86 like the way the guide signs state here?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cwi3YyYpeGfinRnB8
Or does it follow AR 94 EB to US 71 Business through Downtown Rogers?

This apparently changed on Google Maps, but also apparently without bothering to make the change on the shield salad on Hudson Rd. unless they did it since the last Google Street View pass.  I guess I'll have to run through there and see if they bothered collecting the signs from Hudson Rd.  Don't exactly know what they were trying to accomplish with the change.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bqkWDQU7BzXd5omh7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eAEQBydrJ2QG87vZ9

[Road Hog]

Could be an AR 5 situation in Benton where the unsigned concurrency runs along the access roads.

[MikieTimT]

ARDOT 2025-2028 Draft STIP

Much disappointment to be found in here compared to the current STIP if looking for progress in western Arkansas.  Lots of jobs pushed back 2-3 years in NWA, like AR-112, and some disappearing altogether from the I-49 construction across the river, like the actual bridge funding.

[Mike24]

ARDOT 2025-2028 Draft STIP

Much disappointment to be found in here compared to the current STIP if looking for progress in western Arkansas.  Lots of jobs pushed back 2-3 years in NWA, like AR-112, and some disappearing altogether from the I-49 construction across the river, like the actual bridge funding.

The only reason you don't see the segment of I-49 across the Arkansas River listed on the 2025-2028 Draft STIP is because that project (040901 Hwy. 22 - Gun Club Rd.) will be let this fiscal year 2024, on the September 18, 2024 bid letting.

Same thing in Northeast Arkansas with Job 101172 Corning Bypass (Future I-57) also scheduled for this September 2024 letting, with the following segment from north of Corning to the Missouri State Line (Job 101173) scheduled for September 2026.

Here are a couple of useful links for future reference:

Staff Minutes (updated about monthly, you can see the scheduled letting date for each project that hasn't been awarded): https://www.ardot.gov/divisions/program-management/project-development/staff-minutes/

Relevant links under this one are the "Project Information" under "Currently Advertised Project Information" and some of the links under "Reports" https://www.ardot.gov/divisions/program-management/construction-contract-development/construction-contractors/

The Staff Minutes has the most accurate information about all programmed highway projects in the state (whether Federal-Aid or State-Aid funded in the case of locally administered projects). The scheduled dates often change based on design, utilities, NEPA, etc. So this document will always be the best source for that. The STIP is just a general tracker of how funding will be used for the next 4 years to meet federal regulations, but their dates are often not accurate and sometimes projects are split or bundled and the STIP is not updated every time that happens.

[MikieTimT]

ARDOT 2025-2028 Draft STIP

Much disappointment to be found in here compared to the current STIP if looking for progress in western Arkansas.  Lots of jobs pushed back 2-3 years in NWA, like AR-112, and some disappearing altogether from the I-49 construction across the river, like the actual bridge funding.

The only reason you don't see the segment of I-49 across the Arkansas River listed on the 2025-2028 Draft STIP is because that project (040901 Hwy. 22 - Gun Club Rd.) will be let this fiscal year 2024, on the September 18, 2024 bid letting.

Same thing in Northeast Arkansas with Job 101172 Corning Bypass (Future I-57) also scheduled for this September 2024 letting, with the following segment from north of Corning to the Missouri State Line (Job 101173) scheduled for September 2026.

Here are a couple of useful links for future reference:

Staff Minutes (updated about monthly, you can see the scheduled letting date for each project that hasn't been awarded): https://www.ardot.gov/divisions/program-management/project-development/staff-minutes/

Relevant links under this one are the "Project Information" under "Currently Advertised Project Information" and some of the links under "Reports" https://www.ardot.gov/divisions/program-management/construction-contract-development/construction-contractors/

The Staff Minutes has the most accurate information about all programmed highway projects in the state (whether Federal-Aid or State-Aid funded in the case of locally administered projects). The scheduled dates often change based on design, utilities, NEPA, etc. So this document will always be the best source for that. The STIP is just a general tracker of how funding will be used for the next 4 years to meet federal regulations, but their dates are often not accurate and sometimes projects are split or bundled and the STIP is not updated every time that happens.

Thanks for that priceless info!  And welcome to the forums!

[Gordon]

Also, they received a 25 million grant June 27th to add to this project. That project is going to happen, they did delay the I40-I49 interchange Job until 2028. Maybe that can be moved up with another grant. 

[TBKS1]

Not really worth its own thread but shoutout Moro Bay state park, AR 600 is actually signed there.

[mvak36]

Also, they received a 25 million grant June 27th to add to this project. That project is going to happen, they did delay the I40-I49 interchange Job until 2028. Maybe that can be moved up with another grant. 

Yes. Here are all the awarded projects. I-49 project is on page 15 of the pdf.
https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-06/RAISE%202024%20Fact%20Sheets.pdf