Looks like US 271 /OK 9 is being widened from South 112 to where the the divided highway begins to the west. Anyone have info on this?
Map?!
Quote from: In_Correct on December 22, 2020, 11:10:17 PM
Map?!
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/35.2752452,-94.4834417/35.2765313,-94.4732599/@35.276169,-94.4819575,16.5z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0
I seem to remember it being related to the rebuild of the intersection with OK112. Based on the 8 Year plan, it looks like the long-term goal is to widen OK112 to 4 lanes all the way to Poteau. ROW acquisition for 5.5 miles immediately south of this intersection is scheduled along with a second bridge across the Poteau River.
Quote from: rte66man on December 23, 2020, 12:08:28 PM
I seem to remember it being related to the rebuild of the intersection with OK112. Based on the 8 Year plan, it looks like the long-term goal is to widen OK112 to 4 lanes all the way to Poteau. ROW acquisition for 5.5 miles immediately south of this intersection is scheduled along with a second bridge across the Poteau River.
I must have missed that memo.
I know Interstate 540 will never be extended beyond Exit 14 in Fort Smith, but if US 271 or OK 112 were upgraded to freeway standards, (very unlikely, but one can daydream) maybe the 540 designation could be extended to Poteau.
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on December 23, 2020, 06:43:13 PM
I know Interstate 540 will never be extended beyond Exit 14 in Fort Smith, but if US 271 or OK 112 were upgraded to freeway standards, (very unlikely, but one can daydream) maybe the 540 designation could be extended to Poteau.
Never happen. Long term, ARDOT has talked about rerouting 540 south of MM 10 to intersect I-49. I'm guessing it won't happen anytime soon.
The US271 / OK-9 / US-59 route is truly a better route for IH-49. The US-270 / US-59 route along the Ouachita river misses much of the mountainous terrain that going through Arkansas to Ft Smith.
The Oklahoma route would run around 90 miles from Mena to Ft. Smith. Perhaps a little less if it were re-routed south of Ft. Smith.
The US-71 route which is basically the chosen route and is all in Arkansas is only about ten miles farther and is considerably more hilly.
Arkansas is surely not interested in sharing and Oklahoma has not shown any particular desire to do this.
So I understand the heavy truck traffic between Mena and Ft Smith already tend to follow the Oklahoma route and this is probably why they are improving this route. Even if (probably when)the interstate is built on the Arkansas route, it is a decade or more away.
OK 112 is, almost literally, at my back door. So going to McAlester, OK I can do 112/271/270 and not mess with I-40 at all.
Quote from: bwana39 on December 27, 2020, 08:07:09 PM
The US271 / OK-9 / US-59 route is truly a better route for IH-49. The US-270 / US-59 route along the Ouachita river misses much of the mountainous terrain that going through Arkansas to Ft Smith.
The Oklahoma route would run around 90 miles from Mena to Ft. Smith. Perhaps a little less if it were re-routed south of Ft. Smith.
The US-71 route which is basically the chosen route and is all in Arkansas is only about ten miles further and is considerably more hilly.
Arkansas is surely not interested in sharing and Oklahoma has not shown any particular desire to do this.
At least two maps from ODOT's predecessor show US 71 going through Oklahoma. I don't know if this is just a typo, or if there was a sort of a border war between the two states over custody of US 71. The road marked US 71 on this map ended up being US 271, then was very briefly (possibly just on paper) US 371, then was US 270, then was US 59/270. Originally, the part in Arkansas was AR 8 and the part from Poteau to the Arkansas line was OK 23.
(https://i.imgur.com/3xTqkxA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/g2Me6tS.png)
Quote
So I understand the heavy truck traffic between Mena and Ft Smith already tend to follow the Oklahoma route and this is probably why they are improving this route. Even if (probably when)the interstate is built on the Arkansas route, it is a decade or more away.
Truck traffic on US 59 is pretty light, actually. I sometimes get behind a truck doing 50 in a 65, but there isn't a whole lot of traffic of any sort from Acorn to Heavener. It gets heavy north of Heavener, and it really should be 4 lanes.
Quote from: bugo on August 18, 2021, 04:15:56 AM
Quote from: bwana39 on December 27, 2020, 08:07:09 PM
The US271 / OK-9 / US-59 route is truly a better route for IH-49. The US-270 / US-59 route along the Ouachita river misses much of the mountainous terrain that going through Arkansas to Ft Smith.
The Oklahoma route would run around 90 miles from Mena to Ft. Smith. Perhaps a little less if it were re-routed south of Ft. Smith.
The US-71 route which is basically the chosen route and is all in Arkansas is only about ten miles further and is considerably more hilly.
Arkansas is surely not interested in sharing and Oklahoma has not shown any particular desire to do this.
At least two maps from ODOT's predecessor show US 71 going through Oklahoma. I don't know if this is just a typo, or if there was a sort of a border war between the two states over custody of US 71. The road marked US 71 on this map ended up being US 271, then was very briefly (possibly just on paper) US 371, then was US 270, then was US 59/270. Originally, the part in Arkansas was AR 8 and the part from Poteau to the Arkansas line was OK 23.
(https://i.imgur.com/3xTqkxA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/g2Me6tS.png)
Quote
So I understand the heavy truck traffic between Mena and Ft Smith already tend to follow the Oklahoma route and this is probably why they are improving this route. Even if (probably when)the interstate is built on the Arkansas route, it is a decade or more away.
Truck traffic on US 59 is pretty light, actually. I sometimes get behind a truck doing 50 in a 65, but there isn't a whole lot of traffic of any sort from Acorn to Heavener. It gets heavy north of Heavener, and it really should be 4 lanes.
I wonder if this was a tempporary detour ala US 59 (now AR 59 ) ? None of my Akansas officials show this.