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[US71]

I feel sorry for some of the home owners in Ashdown, especially anyone living on East Whittaker Street. You probably would need to really like trains and not mind all the blaring horns to stomach living in that town.

I feel sorry for Ashdown residents, especially those on the south end of town, for another reason: there's a huge stinky paper mill there. Ashdown is one place where I will never live. We always called it "Assdown" because it smells like ass.

Smells like really cheap, nasty sauerkraut. So does southeast of Pine Bluff.

[dariusb]

International Paper Mill south of Texarkana doesn't smell too nice either.

[cjk374]

Name a paper mill that smells like a country fresh day?

[Grzrd]

this February 2, 2015 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports that I-369 is close to achieving a minor milestone: its first maintenance contract since it received the I-369 designation:

... part of Interstate 369 ... closer to getting some repair and replacement attention from the Texas Department of Transportation.
During a recent meeting, both the Texarkana Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Technical Committee and Policy Board agreed on three projects to receive funds from the Texas State Proposition 1 measure approved by voters in last year’s November election.
Of the three projects, two are designated as resurfacing efforts. One ... is further south on I-369 and extends for a one-mile stretch of the interstate’s length between U.S. Highway 82 and Texas State Highway 93.

This March 26 article reports that TxDOT will resurface a 3.3 mile (not 1 mile) section of I-369 between I-30 (not U.S. 82) and SH 93, and that the project should begin in May and conclude by the end of the summer:

A section of Interstate 369/US 59 in Texarkana will receive a new riding surface this year according to plans approved in March by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
“We will be resurfacing a 3.3-mile section of the highway between I-30 and State Highway 93 (Lake Drive). We will also be doing similar work on a short section of the I-30 eastbound auxiliary lanes between I-369 and Richmond Road,” said Kenny Icenhower, area engineer for TxDOT in Texarkana. “Some of the old pavement will be removed, repairs made to the underlying materials and then the entire roadway will be repaved.”
This work was made possible by additional funding received from the Proposition 1 that Texas voters overwhelmingly approved in November. This allocation directs a portion of oil and gas tax revenues into the State Highway Fund in an effort to address roadway congestion, safety and the growing demands on the state’s infrastructure.
R. K. Hall of Paris, TX, was awarded the contract for the construction project with a bid of $2.9 million.
Work on the project should begin in May and be completed by the end of the summer, Icenhower said.

[bugo]

It would be funny if I-69 in Texas would be cancelled leaving I-369 an orphaned route (which is really what it is now).

[Molandfreak]

It would be funny if I-69 in Texas would be cancelled leaving I-369 an orphaned route (which is really what it is now).

It really should just be I-130 as-is.

[english si]

I-130 is the other side of Texarkana (now signed as I-49).

Personally I'd have existing I-369 forming half of I-249, if it needs the blue-and-red signs.

[Greybear]

Ever thought about I-369 becoming I-230 and having it loop around to I-49, if I-69 were to be abandoned.

[dariusb]

^Sounds good to me.

[Molandfreak]

Ever thought about I-369 becoming I-230 and having it loop around to I-49, if I-69 were to be abandoned.

It should be that way regardless of weather I-69 is abandoned.

[US71]

Name a paper mill that smells like a country fresh day?

Alanland

[Grzrd]

I recently stumbled across a February 2014 Power Point presentation that includes a slide envisioning "I-69 TXK Western Loop" going to the TexAmericas Center and north of I-30 (continuing as the Northern Loop?):

... It's also interesting that the ... slide suggests a Northern Loop connection to I-49, which makes sense considering the Intermodal Center part of the slide includes I-30, I-49 and I-69 shields.

This April 11 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports on a recent presentation by the President of the Interstate 49 International Coalition, Curt Green, that includes emphasis on the importance of  the future connection of I-49 to the TexAmericas Center:

As president of the Interstate 49 International Coalition, Curt Green let his audience know Thursday that Texarkana represented a smooth-running motor at the Economic Engines of the Ark-La-Tex meeting.
The meeting, known as the Tri-State Conference, focused on how cities such as Texarkana, which sits in I-49’s corridor, could become one of those such engines.
Green also cited TexAmericas Center ... as poised to help fuel Texarkana as an economic engine. He emphasized TexAmericas because of its large open real estate and strategic position near the future intersection of Interstate 30 and I-49—once the last 140 miles of I-49 connecting Fort Smith, Ark., to Texarkana are built.
Formed in 1997 in the aftermath of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s review of the RRAD, TexAmericas now has 12,000 acres available for modern industrial and commercial business development—space that is also inside a designated foreign trade zone, Green explained.
As a not-for-profit industrial development company, the center is in the process of repairing and maintaining 36 miles of rail system, 200 miles of roadway, 240,000 square feet of warehouse space and 170,000 square feet of dry storage space. ....
Texas is also getting serious about opening the Interstate 69 corridor, he said. One portion of it received official designation along a stretch of U.S. Highway 59 in Texarkana with a ceremony in September 2013.

Although the I-49 "intersection with I-30" that would provide access to TexAmericas Center, if ever, would probably be via the Northern Loop with the actual I-30 interchange being with a new terrain I-369 west of the current I-369, the big picture (putting aside roadgeek details) is that the I-49 boosters are joining the the I-69 Corridor boosters in emphasizing the importance of good access to the TexAmericas Center.

Otherwise, the article does not have any new I-49 funding or construction developments, but it does include a new rallying cry for I-49 boosters: "Too Close to Stop Now":

Green gave the audience an update on the interstate’s status, since it’s “Too Close to Stop Now,” when it comes to completion.
“Where we are today?” he asked. “We have a roadway that is now 80 percent complete, with 5 percent of that remaining 20 percent now being worked on in the 140-mile stretch between Fort Smith and Texarkana. The remaining 15 percent of that stretch still needs funding. Since work started on getting the interstate extended north throughout the rest of Louisiana in the 1980s, you can see that Louisiana has done a good job of making it a financial priority down here.”

[Grzrd]

This December 14 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports that Texas and Arkansas may soon have similar "Welcome to Texarkana" signs along I-30 (if TxDOT and FHWA grant a size waiver on the Texas side), and that such signs may be in the future for I-49 and I-69 [I-369]:

During their Dec. 8 meeting, the Texarkana, Texas, City Council members expressed interest in putting in a city welcome sign for visitors coming from the west. Texarkana, Ark., is already working to complete a welcome sign for visitors coming from the east on I-30 ....
Texarkana, Ark., Public Works Director Paul Hackleman said the sign being constructed just outside the the Country Hills Subdivision should be complete prior to the end of the year, but weather will be the determining factor ....
“The city needs the entry signs not only for both states, but for all major entry points to Texarkana,” Hackleman wrote in a Dec. 12 email. “Texarkana, Ark., is very proud to have Texarkana, Texas, moving forward with a similar sign on I-30. We will need the same for I-69, I-49, (U.S.) Highway 67, (U.S.) Highway 71 and (U.S.) Highway 82.”

This article reports that a ribbon cutting was recently held for the I-30 Arkansas sign near the I-49 interchange:

The Texarkana Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Welcome to Texarkana sign along Interstate 30 Friday morning.
The sign which welcomes westbound I-30 drivers to Texarkana just before the Interstate 49 interchange ...

The article does not mention whether any progress for a similar sign has been made on the Texas side.

[txstateends]

Holy crap, that's a *big* monument sign....  Are they all going to be that big?

The only thing I've seen that's even relatively close in size was the Sam Houston statue on the NB side of I-45 coming up to Huntsville.

[Grzrd]

SB 549 at 151

...
As an aside, it's strange that the "thru" highway (549) exits.  I wonder if AHTD will ever change this?

AHTD, with the upcoming redesignation of AR 549 to I-49, I-49 will need to replace AR 549 ... To follow up on US71's question, does AHTD intend to make I-49 the "through" route ... ?

Google Street View has posted July 2015 imagery of SB I-49 at AR 151:



Alas, the exit sign for I-49 to exit onto itself can still be seen in the distance.    Maybe AHTD wanted to avoid a left exit for AR 151. 

edit

More recent imagery of the above BGSes is discussed in the I-49 in Arkansas thread.

[Grzrd]

This December 26 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports that Carlow and Green, as well as other Texarkana business leaders, met to discuss the future importance of Interstates 49 and 69, with Green even going so far to say that every mile of I-69 that Texas completes "has just as much impact on I-49"

This Arkansas Business article discusses I-49 and I-369 in Texarkana and suggests that progress on I-369 may spur some action from Arkansas on the Fort Smith-to-Texarkana section of I-49

This April 11 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports on a recent presentation by the President of the Interstate 49 International Coalition, Curt Green, that includes emphasis on the importance of  the future connection of I-49 to the TexAmericas Center

This September 18 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports on a recent presentation by Curt Green in which he remarked that Texas' I-69 development could provide an incentive to complete I-49 in Arkansas because "a traffic jam is coming to Texarkana":

While the Fouke Monster might be considered a “missing link” between primitive man and modern man, but for Curt Green, the real missing link is between Fort Smith, Ark., and Texarkana, Ark.
During a presentation before members of the Shreveport, La.-based Coordinating and Development Corp. at Fouke’s Stanley Davis Community Center on Thursday, Green, who serves as I-49 International Coalition president, delivered a 15-minute, 45-slide presentation to about 125 local and area residents and officials ....
The missing highway between Fort Smith and Texarkana is estimated to cost $2.6 billion to construct, and Green said finding that money is the project’s greatest obstacle. This is because funding is so uncertain given the $18 trillion national debt ....
Green added that Texas’ Interstate 69 project could provide incentive to finish up in Arkansas, as it shows a future Houston connection to I-49—as evidenced by a 3-mile portion of U.S. Highway 59 being re-designated as part of the future I-69 during a dedication ceremony two years ago in Texarkana.
“A traffic jam is coming to Texarkana, so it’s very important that we get I-49 completed,” he said.

This Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) suggests that Mena may be the first town on the Fort Smith-to-Texarkana section to have I-49 construction:

Curt Green, president of the I-49 International Coalition ....
said Mena, Ark., now stands right in the middle of the 150-mile stretch of I-49 still left to be completed (which would connect Texarkana to Fort Smith).
“Right now I-49 is about 80 to 85 percent complete and right now Mena is putting up more money per capital the any other Arkansas city to see that I-49 comes through.”

(above quote from I-49 in Arkansas thread)

Unfortunately, the September 18 article does not report whether Green provided any clues this time about the possible first project for the Fort Smith-to-Texarkana section of I-49.

[Grzrd]

I recently had an email Q & A with the Tourism Research & Information Services of the Arkansas Dept. of Parks & Tourism in order to see if Arkansas had any plans to build a Welcome Center counterpart to the one under study in Louisiana:

Q: Louisiana is now conducting a site study for a Welcome Center on southbound I-49 near the AR state line.  Is Arkansas planning on a new Welcome Center on northbound I-49 north of the state line?
A: Arkansas operates a Welcome Center in Texarkana; currently there is not another one planned for this area.

....It looks like it is now up to the Fouke Monster to increase his appearances in order to gin up some tourism between the Louisiana state line and Texarkana. 

This TV video reports that Fouke leaders do not want to rely on the Monster and are working to get a Welcome Center in Fouke:

Interstate 49 promises economic growth across the country, as well as, in some of our own communities.
The City of Fouke is hoping to take advantage of that potential growth ....
Pat Allen of Fouke is the president of the "Citizens for a Better Community" group.
"I believe I-49 will quadruple the size of Fouke within five to ten years," said Allen ....
Community leaders say they're working to get a visitor welcome center in Fouke, but no final decision has been made.

This article reports that AHTD does not want to pursue the possibility of a Fouke welcome center because the agency believes that the cost would be prohibitive:

Deryl Jones would like a new reservoir to be built in the Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area. He also believes there should be a welcome center in town on Interstate 49.
A couple of state agencies disagree. Jones, chairman of the Miller County Rural Development Authority, based in Fouke, said his group will persist ....
Clarice Allen, a Texarkana lawyer writing on behalf of the city of Fouke, in 2014 asked the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to begin a feasibility study to determine the best site in Fouke for a welcome center. Fouke is only 15 miles from the Louisiana state line on I-49, she wrote, is the first city northbound, and has the utilities and other necessary services readily available.
Fouke also has property owners willing to sell or dedicate land for the welcome center, Allen wrote.
No thanks, the Highway Department responded.
The department, in partnership with the state Department of Parks and Tourism, already has two welcome centers in the Texarkana area, agency director Scott Bennett wrote to Allen.
The creation of a third welcome center would duplicate services already available at those two welcome centers, Bennett wrote, adding that the cost of a third would be “beyond the capabilities of either agency.”

[Grzrd]

The Alliance for I-69 Texas, in an article on its website, I-69 Scores Victory in Passage of MAP-21 Highway Bill, indicates that the Texarkana I-69 Spur will eventually be a 3di:

A 5-mile section of US 59 connecting to I-30 in Texarkana is being processed for designation as part of an I-69 system element. Because the primary national I-69 route extends into Louisiana south of Texarkana in Shelby County, section 118-mile section from I-30 south to Tenaha will be on the I-69 system but its specific numbering will be determined under the guidelines for interstate spur routes which carry a three-digit number using the number of the main route with an odd-number prefix such as 369 or 569.

I noticed that the I 369 mms were put up on the far northern section. Going NB it starts as mm 111.

July 2015 Google StreetView imagery shows mile marker 108 just south of the I-369/ I-30 interchange:



Proceeding northward, the mile marker numbers decrease. Are these mile markers preexisting US 59 mile markers?  If so, then it is a notable coincidence that the numbers are very close to what they will be under I-369's mileage (assuming "mainline" I-369 will not be on the proposed TexAmericas Center relief route corridor, but that's another discussion).

[yakra]

Proceeding northward, the mile marker numbers decrease. Are these mile markers preexisting US 59 mile markers?

Increasing southbound, I'd guess that they're preexisting US 59 mile markers. IIRC TX uses this offbeat mile reference system on non-interstates, measuring from the northernmost, and... westernmost? edges of the state. (If you wanna see some wacky hijinks, check out the exit numbering on TX130.) I'm sure there are a few TX experts on here who know more about it than I do and can explain in better detail.

[Road Hog]

Proceeding northward, the mile marker numbers decrease. Are these mile markers preexisting US 59 mile markers?

Increasing southbound, I'd guess that they're preexisting US 59 mile markers. IIRC TX uses this offbeat mile reference system on non-interstates, measuring from the northernmost, and... westernmost? edges of the state. (If you wanna see some wacky hijinks, check out the exit numbering on TX130.) I'm sure there are a few TX experts on here who know more about it than I do and can explain in better detail.

Yes, if I have it right, north-south mileages are measured from a straight line extended east and west from the top of the Panhandle. East-west mileages are measured from the longitude of the westernmost tip of the state near El Paso. So the overall zero point where the two lines intersect is somewhere in New Mexico. 

Apparently the reference marker system didn't come about until the late 1980s.

[US71]

My guess would be 369 mileposts. All Texas highways have mileag, but it's usually a small "collar" below the route sign. Given these are more expressway/interstate-style, I would say they are for I-369 mileage.

[lordsutch]

Yes, if I have it right, north-south mileages are measured from a straight line extended east and west from the top of the Panhandle. East-west mileages are measured from the longitude of the westernmost tip of the state near El Paso. So the overall zero point where the two lines intersect is somewhere in New Mexico. 

Apparently the reference marker system didn't come about until the late 1980s.

Technically the zero point is ten miles west and ten miles north of said point.

That said, the mile marker numbering should be somewhere in the 200s if it's based on the Texas state system, so it's definitely based on I-369 mileage. If I had to guess, whoever installed the mile markers installed them backwards (north-to-south, according to the TxDOT rules, instead of south-to-north, according to the Interstate rules), not realizing the origin point is supposed to be Tenaha.