Top 20 Most Traveled Stretches of Highway in Arkansas

[AHTD]

 There's a column in the statewide newspaper here in Arkansas that deals specifically with traffic/roads/highways. Recently we received the following inquiry from the author. The question was generated by one of the column's many fans:

"Is it possible for the Highway Department's data wizards to pinpoint the 10 most traveled stretches of highway in the state system and what percentage of total traffic they constitute?"

And here is the answer we provided, but since the column was published last Saturday, we have had a request for the Top 20. So here it is. Enjoy!


In developing this answer, we used traffic volumes to make an initial list and combined adjacent traffic segments together into one, longer segment. We calculated Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and then calculated Weighted Average Daily Traffic (WADT) to come up with the rankings. We added the VMTs together and used that to calculate their percentage of the total Arkansas Primary Highway Network VMT.


1. I-30 from 6th Street to I-40 - WADT 114,700 vpd
2. I-40 from Levy  to JFK - WADT 104,000 vpd
3. I-630 Entire Route - WADT 100,100 vpd
4. I-30 from Alcoa to 9th Street - WADT 85,400 vpd
5. I -430 from I-630 to Maumelle WADT - 84,400 vpd
6. US 67 from I-40 to McCain - WADT 83,000 vpd
7. I-49 from Hwy 112 to US 71B - WADT 81,000 vpd (this is the very short stretch of I-49 between Garland Avenue and Exit 67. It includes through traffic as well as traffic entering and exiting from Garland Ave.; as well as traffic entering and exiting from the Fulbright Expressway.

There is a three-way tie for 8-10:
8. US 67 from Wildwood to Kiehl - WADT 78,000 vpd
9. US 67 from Hwy 440 to Redmond  Rd - WADT 78,000 vpd
10. I-430 from Col. Glenn to Shackleford Rd. - WADT 78,000 vpd

These segments constitute 7% of the APHN VMT.

Rounding out the Top 20 are:

11. I-49 Elm Springs Rd to Wagon Wheel Rd — WADT 77,000
12. I-40 Crystal Hill Rd to Hwy 365 (Levy) — WADT 76,600
13. I-430 Shackleford Rd to I-630 — WADT 76,000
14. I-430 Stagecoach Rd to Col Glenn Rd — WADT 73,000
15. I-49 Pleasant Grove Rd to US 71B — WADT 72,600
16. US 67 McCain Blvd to Wildwood Ave — WADT 72,000
17. I-49 Wagon Wheel Rd to Pleasant Grove Rd — WADT 71,000
18. I-30 Congo Rd to Alcoa Rd — WADT 70,000
19. I-430 Hwy 100 (Maumelle) to I-40 — WADT 68,000

And Tied for 20^th place:
20. I-40 Hwy 365 (Morgan) to I-430 — WADT 67,000
20. I-49 US 412 to Elm Springs Rd — WADT 67,000

These segments (#11 to #20) constitute 3% of APHN VMT.


The top 20 segments combined constitute 10% of the APHN VMT

[Road Hog]

One NWA entry in the top 10. The rest are all Central.

[US71]

One NWA entry in the top 10. The rest are all Central.

Getting on NB 49 from 112 is like Russian Roulette

[robbones]

I think when 49 is complete, there will be more western ark in the top 10

[AHTD]

One NWA entry in the top 10. The rest are all Central.

REMEMBER.... the money follows the traffic. Our planning horizon projects an increase to warrant the widening of I-49 to three lanes at this time. In Central Arkansas the volume is ALREADY there, the effort here is to try and accommodate it.

[US71]

There's a column in the statewide newspaper here in Arkansas that deals specifically with traffic/roads/highways.

I used to be a fan Robert Smith's Gridlock Guru

[bugo]

What are the most lightly traveled sections of highway?  I would guess that AR 88 at the Oklahoma line would be in the top 20.

[bugo]

There's a column in the statewide newspaper here in Arkansas that deals specifically with traffic/roads/highways.

I used to be a fan Robert Smith's Gridlock Guru

That guy was a real bellend.  I commented to him on the lack of US 62/71 signage along I-540 in NWA and he responded that I was wrong and posted a picture of the ONE sign with a 71 shield on it, not taking into consideration that this was the ONLY US 71 shield on the entire highway.

[Arkansastravelguy]

What are the most lightly traveled sections of highway?  I would guess that AR 88 at the Oklahoma line would be in the top 20.

My vote goes to AR 220 is in the top 5


iPhone

[bugo]

I could look it up using the county traffic count maps but I'm too lazy.

[bjrush]

There are probably some in the Delta that get 5 vehicles per day, all of them tractors

[bugo]

There are probably some in the Delta that get 5 vehicles per day, all of them tractors

But you just wait, the Delta is about to EXPLODE~! It's going to make NWA look like Detroit!

[M86]

There's a column in the statewide newspaper here in Arkansas that deals specifically with traffic/roads/highways. Recently we received the following inquiry from the author. The question was generated by one of the column's many fans:

"Is it possible for the Highway Department's data wizards to pinpoint the 10 most traveled stretches of highway in the state system and what percentage of total traffic they constitute?"

And here is the answer we provided, but since the column was published last Saturday, we have had a request for the Top 20. So here it is. Enjoy!


In developing this answer, we used traffic volumes to make an initial list and combined adjacent traffic segments together into one, longer segment. We calculated Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and then calculated Weighted Average Daily Traffic (WADT) to come up with the rankings. We added the VMTs together and used that to calculate their percentage of the total Arkansas Primary Highway Network VMT.


1. I-30 from 6th Street to I-40 - WADT 114,700 vpd
2. I-40 from Levy  to JFK - WADT 104,000 vpd
3. I-630 Entire Route - WADT 100,100 vpd
4. I-30 from Alcoa to 9th Street - WADT 85,400 vpd
5. I -430 from I-630 to Maumelle WADT - 84,400 vpd
6. US 67 from I-40 to McCain - WADT 83,000 vpd
7. I-49 from Hwy 112 to US 71B - WADT 81,000 vpd (this is the very short stretch of I-49 between Garland Avenue and Exit 67. It includes through traffic as well as traffic entering and exiting from Garland Ave.; as well as traffic entering and exiting from the Fulbright Expressway.

There is a three-way tie for 8-10:
8. US 67 from Wildwood to Kiehl - WADT 78,000 vpd
9. US 67 from Hwy 440 to Redmond  Rd - WADT 78,000 vpd
10. I-430 from Col. Glenn to Shackleford Rd. - WADT 78,000 vpd

These segments constitute 7% of the APHN VMT.

Rounding out the Top 20 are:

11. I-49 Elm Springs Rd to Wagon Wheel Rd — WADT 77,000
12. I-40 Crystal Hill Rd to Hwy 365 (Levy) — WADT 76,600
13. I-430 Shackleford Rd to I-630 — WADT 76,000
14. I-430 Stagecoach Rd to Col Glenn Rd — WADT 73,000
15. I-49 Pleasant Grove Rd to US 71B — WADT 72,600
16. US 67 McCain Blvd to Wildwood Ave — WADT 72,000
17. I-49 Wagon Wheel Rd to Pleasant Grove Rd — WADT 71,000
18. I-30 Congo Rd to Alcoa Rd — WADT 70,000
19. I-430 Hwy 100 (Maumelle) to I-40 — WADT 68,000

And Tied for 20^th place:
20. I-40 Hwy 365 (Morgan) to I-430 — WADT 67,000
20. I-49 US 412 to Elm Springs Rd — WADT 67,000

These segments (#11 to #20) constitute 3% of APHN VMT.


The top 20 segments combined constitute 10% of the APHN VMT

Thank you for this.  Many of the highways listed above are more than 2 lanes in each direction...
Can you provide the accident data for the above routes?

[dariusb]

I'm surprised I-30 through Texarkana didn't make the list.

[Wayward Memphian]

What? Where's the the I-55/I-40 corridor in West Memphis?

[AHTD]

What? Where's the the I-55/I-40 corridor in West Memphis?

GREAT Question!

The ADT for I-40 between North Little Rock and West Memphis is ONLY 40,000+..... HOWEVER, more than half of that number is large truck traffic.