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Author Topic: I-49 in Arkansas  (Read 1295835 times)

M86

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2375 on: March 29, 2019, 02:33:28 AM »

Are there drawings of the SPUI project for I-49/AR 549 and US71 on the web?  Not even sure where to look on the ARDOT website.
If there's a job number for the project, I can do some digging, but I'm sure there isn't yet.
If someone can figure out when a public meeting was held for it, that will be posted on ARDOT's website.
And the obligatory comment that ARDOT's website needs a huge overhaul, which it does.
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Gordon

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2376 on: March 29, 2019, 11:54:38 AM »

CA0903 Hwy 71 interchange
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2377 on: April 04, 2019, 01:09:42 PM »


ARDOT announces tolling I-49 from Alma to Barling is "not viable".
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sparker

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2378 on: April 04, 2019, 07:03:15 PM »


ARDOT announces tolling I-49 from Alma to Barling is "not viable".


As a stand-alone facility, a Fort Smith I-49 bypass wouldn't be particularly viable as a toll road, since the opportunities for shunpiking across the Arkansas River (US 64/71, I-540) are there and functional.  The only way that tolls -- limited to the bridge itself rather than the entire bypass -- would be a viable concept is after I-49 is completed south to Texarkana; it's likely that a driver not intending to overnight in the Fort Smith area would expend the effort to shunpike over surface facilities but rather remain on the I-49 main line and pay the bridge toll.  Of course, revenues from this would necessarily be directed toward maintenance rather than construction of the facility -- which doesn't presently help the prospects for deployment.  Nevertheless, it's something that could be useful down the line. 
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2379 on: April 04, 2019, 08:28:04 PM »


ARDOT announces tolling I-49 from Alma to Barling is "not viable".


As a stand-alone facility, a Fort Smith I-49 bypass wouldn't be particularly viable as a toll road, since the opportunities for shunpiking across the Arkansas River (US 64/71, I-540) are there and functional.  The only way that tolls -- limited to the bridge itself rather than the entire bypass -- would be a viable concept is after I-49 is completed south to Texarkana; it's likely that a driver not intending to overnight in the Fort Smith area would expend the effort to shunpike over surface facilities but rather remain on the I-49 main line and pay the bridge toll.  Of course, revenues from this would necessarily be directed toward maintenance rather than construction of the facility -- which doesn't presently help the prospects for deployment.  Nevertheless, it's something that could be useful down the line. 

As I've said before, ARDOT could get rid of state maintained factory "driveways" and short highways that turn into a dirt road after 3 miles. Maybe then they'd have a little more money for important projects, but they've always had misplaced priorities.
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Gordon

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2380 on: April 05, 2019, 08:31:32 PM »

Last November when ARDOT said that the toll road was not going to be feasible, Bennett said they would look at doing road to road sections and get the cost down to a more manageable price to build the bridge. Also they said the environmental was updated in the cost of the toll would not pay for it. I hope that is still an option and they continue to work on engineering for that.
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Bobby5280

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2381 on: April 05, 2019, 10:48:22 PM »

Yeah, a toll bridge on its own wouldn't work. Too easy to shunpike unless the toll was dirt cheap. I think a toll facility on I-49 would only work as a single, uninterrupted, long distance run from I-40 all the way down to the state line. Otherwise it's going to have to be a gas tax-funded road.
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O Tamandua

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2382 on: May 27, 2019, 09:31:57 PM »

Years ago, the late Christopher Hitchens took a trip to North Korea and witnessed (the better word might be "initiated") an obscure yet sad scene there.  His ever-present North Korean interpreter at the end said: "Such pity".

Today, after the idea of I-49 with an Arkansas River bridge and link to Texarkana has been diddled around on, the I-540 and Midland bridges to Fort Smith are to be closed tonight, with U.S. 64 into Oklahoma closed at Garrison Ave. as well.  The only other Arkansas River bridge available for FSM/Van Buren is the (EDIT: excuse me, Arkansas 59) bridge at Barling, and it may be closed in the future as well given what KFSM-TV reporters are saying...the river hasn't crested yet, and it's going to stay at that level for awhile (with more rounds of severe weather, and rain, predicted for tomorrow through Wednesday in Kansas and Oklahoma, where this is coming from).

Such pity.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2019, 10:55:10 PM by O Tamandua »
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2383 on: May 27, 2019, 10:20:00 PM »

Years ago, the late Christopher Hitchens took a trip to North Korea and witnessed (the better word might be "initiated") an obscure yet sad scene there.  His ever-present North Korean interpreter at the end said: "Such pity".

Today, after the idea of I-49 with an Arkansas River bridge and link to Texarkana has been diddled around on, the I-540 and Midland bridges to Fort Smith are to be closed tonight, with U.S. 64 into Oklahoma closed at Garrison Ave. as well.  The only other Arkansas River bridge available for FSM/Van Buren is the U.S. 59 bridge at Barling, and it may be closed in the future as well given what KFSM-TV reporters are saying...the river hasn't crested yet, and it's going to stay at that level for awhile (with more rounds of severe weather, and rain, predicted for tomorrow through Wednesday in Kansas and Oklahoma, where this is coming from).

Such pity.

AR 59 at Barling  US 59 is south of Sallisaw, OK :)

But US 271 to US 59 north to Sallisaw, then back to Van Buren on I-40 is an alternative if needed.  :spin:
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O Tamandua

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2384 on: May 27, 2019, 11:00:43 PM »

Years ago, the late Christopher Hitchens took a trip to North Korea and witnessed (the better word might be "initiated") an obscure yet sad scene there.  His ever-present North Korean interpreter at the end said: "Such pity".

Today, after the idea of I-49 with an Arkansas River bridge and link to Texarkana has been diddled around on, the I-540 and Midland bridges to Fort Smith are to be closed tonight, with U.S. 64 into Oklahoma closed at Garrison Ave. as well.  The only other Arkansas River bridge available for FSM/Van Buren is the U.S. 59 bridge at Barling, and it may be closed in the future as well given what KFSM-TV reporters are saying...the river hasn't crested yet, and it's going to stay at that level for awhile (with more rounds of severe weather, and rain, predicted for tomorrow through Wednesday in Kansas and Oklahoma, where this is coming from).

Such pity.

AR 59 at Barling  US 59 is south of Sallisaw, OK :)

But US 271 to US 59 north to Sallisaw, then back to Van Buren on I-40 is an alternative if needed.  :spin:

Thank you for the correction, US 71.  Rumor mill is flying that I-40 might be closed in the future as these bridges were closed with the water just under 40', and the crest is expected to be 42.5', but can't we discount that?  I-40's close to a lot of water (especially at and near Russellville) but it's not THAT close...
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MikieTimT

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2385 on: May 28, 2019, 12:06:12 PM »

The Great Arkansas River Flood of 2019 just made it that much more expensive to ever cross the Arkansas River with I-49 as they'll have to re-figure how high to make the bridge, approaches, and even the roadbed through the Kibler Bottoms because of this historic flood.  2040 would be a best-case scenario at this point, and the price tag has undoubtedly just jumped significantly.
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Bobby5280

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2386 on: May 30, 2019, 09:30:30 PM »

On the bright side ArDOT might not have as many homes and properties near the river to buy and clear in order to build the bridge and its approaches.
 :)
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2387 on: May 30, 2019, 09:39:32 PM »

On the bright side ArDOT might not have as many homes and properties near the river to buy and clear in order to build the bridge and its approaches.
 :)

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Road Hog

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2388 on: May 31, 2019, 12:53:27 AM »

The Great Arkansas River Flood of 2019 just made it that much more expensive to ever cross the Arkansas River with I-49 as they'll have to re-figure how high to make the bridge, approaches, and even the roadbed through the Kibler Bottoms because of this historic flood.  2040 would be a best-case scenario at this point, and the price tag has undoubtedly just jumped significantly.
On the other hand, with the area cut in half by the bridge closings with no access, the need for an additional and secure crossing is made apparent, which could spur action.
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RoadMaster09

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2389 on: May 31, 2019, 12:58:02 AM »

The Great Arkansas River Flood of 2019 just made it that much more expensive to ever cross the Arkansas River with I-49 as they'll have to re-figure how high to make the bridge, approaches, and even the roadbed through the Kibler Bottoms because of this historic flood.  2040 would be a best-case scenario at this point, and the price tag has undoubtedly just jumped significantly.

I think the flood will magnify the need for the I-49 bridge. It would be a lot cheaper than retrofitting any of the existing bridges to continue through such an extreme river flood. It will need to go above the flood line from this flood though (at crest) with at least several feet to spare though, so that if a flood like this happens again at least I-49 will be an option.
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MikieTimT

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2390 on: May 31, 2019, 01:02:14 AM »

The Great Arkansas River Flood of 2019 just made it that much more expensive to ever cross the Arkansas River with I-49 as they'll have to re-figure how high to make the bridge, approaches, and even the roadbed through the Kibler Bottoms because of this historic flood.  2040 would be a best-case scenario at this point, and the price tag has undoubtedly just jumped significantly.
On the other hand, with the area cut in half by the bridge closings with no access, the need for an additional and secure crossing is made apparent, which could spur action.

They re-opened the 2 major closed bridges between Van Buren and Ft. Smith after 1 night as the river didn't crest as high as they anticipated and the bridges were in fine shape, so as long as the approaches don't swamp, the only major closing was the Garrison Ave. bridge into OK, only because the road a half mile into OK was flooded out.  As morbid as it is to say, there haven't been enough deaths to spur any major changes in funding or planning, and Arkansas isn't politically important enough to get much in the way of federal attention.
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MikieTimT

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2391 on: May 31, 2019, 01:03:39 AM »

The Great Arkansas River Flood of 2019 just made it that much more expensive to ever cross the Arkansas River with I-49 as they'll have to re-figure how high to make the bridge, approaches, and even the roadbed through the Kibler Bottoms because of this historic flood.  2040 would be a best-case scenario at this point, and the price tag has undoubtedly just jumped significantly.
On the other hand, with the area cut in half by the bridge closings with no access, the need for an additional and secure crossing is made apparent, which could spur action.

They re-opened the 2 major closed bridges between Van Buren and Ft. Smith after 1 night as the river didn't crest as high as they anticipated and the bridges were in fine shape, so as long as the approaches don't swamp, the only major closing was the Garrison Ave. bridge into OK, only because the road a half mile into OK was flooded out.  As morbid as it is to say, there (thankfully!) haven't been enough deaths to spur any major changes in funding or planning, and Arkansas isn't politically important enough to get much in the way of federal attention.
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US71

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2392 on: May 31, 2019, 08:21:14 PM »

The Great Arkansas River Flood of 2019 just made it that much more expensive to ever cross the Arkansas River with I-49 as they'll have to re-figure how high to make the bridge, approaches, and even the roadbed through the Kibler Bottoms because of this historic flood.  2040 would be a best-case scenario at this point, and the price tag has undoubtedly just jumped significantly.
On the other hand, with the area cut in half by the bridge closings with no access, the need for an additional and secure crossing is made apparent, which could spur action.

They re-opened the 2 major closed bridges between Van Buren and Ft. Smith after 1 night as the river didn't crest as high as they anticipated and the bridges were in fine shape, so as long as the approaches don't swamp, the only major closing was the Garrison Ave. bridge into OK, only because the road a half mile into OK was flooded out.  As morbid as it is to say, there haven't been enough deaths to spur any major changes in funding or planning, and Arkansas isn't politically important enough to get much in the way of federal attention.

I crossed the 540 bridge today. The roadway was dry, but the flood waters were very close to the pavement. I think I heard the flood waters are beginning to fall.

Luckily, my neighborhood didn't flood at all. I'm near the 540/271 junction and the flooding stopped about 4 miles north of me...THANK GOODNESS!
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KamKam

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2393 on: June 05, 2019, 11:24:06 PM »

That's awesome! Definitely glad your area wasn't flooded!
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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2394 on: June 14, 2019, 02:18:49 PM »

This article about the proposed extension of the half-cent sales tax Shows ArDOT's "wish list" for the next twenty years:

Quote
.... Members of the Arkansas Highway Commission got their first look at the potential projects at their regular meeting Wednesday in Little Rock as they work to put together a plan of how they will spend the total federal and state highway money that will be available over the next 20 years.
Agency officials described it as a second Connecting Arkansas Program, which is the name of the $1.8 billion road construction program that is funded in large part by a temporary half-percent sales tax voters approved in 2012.
"To me, this is a very good map," said Robert Moore Jr., a member of the commission from Arkansas City. "I think we always have to keep in mind that we do not have enough money to do everything we want to do.
"More importantly, this is not going to be a regional vote to pass the half-cent sales tax. It would be a statewide vote. Of necessity, we have to make sure we're looking at the needs of everyone in Arkansas. You've done a reasonable and equitable job of doing that. There may be some tweaks on there ... but I think as a fundamental map, it's very good."....

Regarding I-49, it shows the "next step" after the Arkansas River bridge is built:



Looks like Greenwood has moved ahead of the Mena bypass.
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Life in Paradise

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2395 on: June 14, 2019, 02:30:03 PM »

Someone needs to tell the person who prepared the project map that US 67 goes between Little Rock and Pocahontas, and the project is for US 412 that is from Huntsville to Black Rock.  An ambitious list, but I'm wondering about why they are making such a fuss about US 82.  The interstates (49 and 69), once opened, will significantly increase their vehicle traffic over the current numbers, but doe you expect US 82 will as well?  I-69 would take a significant amount of traffic in Southern Arkansas that might travel on US 82 (even trucks from  Dallas would take I-20 to I-69 and go north rather than go to Texarkana and head over US 82.
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mvak36

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2396 on: June 14, 2019, 04:17:55 PM »

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Bobby5280

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2397 on: June 14, 2019, 06:09:08 PM »

Quote from: Life in Paradise
An ambitious list, but I'm wondering about why they are making such a fuss about US 82.

My guess: US-82 has a relatively new Mississippi River bridge crossing that is up to current Interstate quality standards. Combine that with US-82 likely being the most busy East-West corridor in Southern Arkansas.

It's possible I-69 could shift some long distance traffic off of US-82. But that's only if I-69 can be built across the Mississippi River and well on into Northern Mississippi. The Great River Bridge and its giant $1 billion+ price tag (along with Mississippi not having any money to pay for its portion) creates a very serious problem for that goal. Improvements along US-82 will allow Southern Arkansas to make due best with what roads it already has, not what it wishes for in the possibly distant future.
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MikieTimT

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2398 on: June 17, 2019, 01:54:23 PM »

I found a more detailed map at https://www.arkansashighways.com/PowerPoints/2019/20190612%20AHC%20Meeting%20Slides.pdf (page 45)

From the looks of the projects on this listing, the I-49 segments proposed are for 2 lanes only (Super-2), so looks like the Bella Vista Bypass all over again until some federal funding comes into play.  Also, looks like the Springdale Bypass isn't fully funded by this either, just the western segment and from Lowell to AR-265, not all the way around Sonora.  I don't like the idea of the tax being permanent.  I'd rather have a sunset provision again like the first go around so that they don't get too cushy with the influx and continue expecting it.
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Bobby5280

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Re: I-49 in Arkansas
« Reply #2399 on: June 17, 2019, 11:42:38 PM »

On the bright side, the temporary Super 2 configuration will at least secure the right of way and prevent jackass developers from putting new buildings in the way.
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