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[robbones]

I 49 shields are up around Texarkana.

[dariusb]

I 49 shields are up around Texarkana.

Cool!

[Grzrd]

This December 10 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports that the Texarkana MPO, at its December 10 Policy Board meeting, was planning to discuss removing the Strategic Highway Network designation from U.S. 71 and reassigning it to I-49:

U.S. Highway 71 may lose a designation that Interstate 49 will gain during a meeting at 10:30 a.m. today of the Texarkana Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board.
Board members, who will meet in the Texarkana, Texas, City Council Chamber in the city’s municipal building at 220 Texas Blvd., will consider issuing a statement removing the Strategic Highway Network designation from U.S. 71 and reassigning it to I-49.
The portion of I-49 connecting Shreveport, La., to Texarkana opened Nov. 10.

I have yet to see anything in articles or on the Texarkana MPO website confirming that the reassignment took place.

[Grzrd]

the Texas Transportation Commission's June, 2007 authorization of a feasibility study for a Texarkana toll road

The link to the Texas Transportation Commission's Minute Order does not include the Exhibit A list of 80 proposed toll road projects; however, TxDOT has emailed me a pdf of Exhibit A .... Here is a snip from Exhibit A:

(above quote from Interstate 49 Texas (5 miles) thread)

I recently emailed TxDOT and asked if the 2007 toll study regarding I-69, I-49, and the Northern Loop had ever been conducted.  The TxDOT response:

Thank you for your patience in our response.  We had to search our archives so it took a bit of time to find the answer to your inquiry.  A very high-level and preliminary toll feasibility study was done near Texarkana and other places in the state over a decade ago but nothing was done beyond that.  Thank you.

However, I'm not sure if "over a decade ago" would be in regard to a 2007 study ............  Nevertheless, it does seem clear that nothing further has been done.

[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]:

Visitors coming to Texarkana on I-30 eventually will be welcomed on the east and west sides of town.
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.
Ward 3 Council Member Tina Veal-Gooch said she supported the idea and wanted to know the exact language on the Arkansas-side sign so the Texas side could use that language as well. She said she liked the idea of “Welcome to Texarkana, USA” on the sign.
Incoming Keep Texarkana Beautiful President Tom Sadowski proposed the Texas sign, according to City Manager John Whitson.
“Keep Texarkana Beautiful has asked the city of Texarkana, Texas, to build a matching sign on the Texas side for eastbound I-30 traffic approaching Texarkana,” Whitson wrote in a Dec. 11 email. “We are not aware of any opportunities to build such a sign on private property. Therefore, our sign will likely be in TxDOT (right of way). If we do build in the TxDOT right of way, we will have to meet the rules and regulations set out by TxDOT and/or the Federal Highway Administration. KTB believes that we can get a waiver on the size from (the Federal Highway Administration), thus permitting us to exceed the size limitations as enforced by TxDOT.” ....
“The TxDOT rules state, ‘Proposed Gateway Monuments shall … be in proper size and scale with its surroundings. The maximum size of the gateway monument face shall not exceed 400 square feet total (note, the Arkansas sign is 792 square feet, 198 percent the size permitted in the I-20 right of way). The height shall not exceed 20 feet above existing grade. Monument widths exceeding 20 feet will not be allowed for gateway monuments on the interstate, although the Federal Highway Administration may consider waiving this limitation on a case-by-case basis.’”
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 sign is 44 feet by about 17 or 18 feet.
The next step in completing the sign will be to put the letters on it. Hackleman said as construction on other arteries around the region are complete, there will be more of a need for other, similar signs.
“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.”

The I-69 [I-369] sign would not have an Arkansas "match" since I-369 will have a northern terminus at either I-30 or I-49 and will not enter Arkansas.

[Grzrd]

This December 14 Texarkana Gazette editorial (behind paywall) speculates on how the recently opened section of I-49 will affect the interaction between Texarkana and Shreveport:

The road to Shreveport just got shorter.
It took a long time to build this important stretch of Interstate 49, but the wait was worth it ....
But which city benefits most?
On the surface, it seems like Shreveport would. It’s easy to imagine people from here trekking down in greater numbers to the casino boats or the stores, restaurants and cultural offerings our city isn’t big enough to support.
But does Texarkana have anything that Shreveport residents would drive up here buy, see or do? Reciprocation by our southern neighbor might be slow in coming. At least for now.
I-49 also puts two airports in easy reach of both cities.
Is it worth the hour trip? Flyers in Dallas and other large metro areas often drive an hour or more just across town to get to the airport. This might actually be an easier drive.
On the other hand, I-49 running south also opens up truck traffic coming from or through here to the river port in Shreveport. This is significant. Until the region around Texarkana can demonstrate a viable need to make it worthwhile to extend the Red River Navigation Channel farther north, this opens up a relatively low-cost transportation option to the Gulf and beyond.
The losers in the deal seem to be all those small towns that dot U.S. Highway 71 between Texarkana and Shreveport. They are suddenly off the beaten track, almost irrelevant.
Not to themselves, of course, or to the regional economy. But irrelevant to a transportation infrastructure bent on getting people and goods from one place to another with no obligation to what’s in between. About the only civilization you see now after leaving Shreveport going north on I-49 is the backside of Fouke, Ark. ....

[Grzrd]

KTBS had a Somewhere in the ArkLaTex video feature about Texarkana .... A sign pointing the way to Richmond Road is also included in the KTBS video:

This December 5 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports that some University of Arkansas graduate students are completing their assessment of how Fouke can capitalize on its economic potential, which includes two exits on I-49

Since Fouke is fairly close to Texarkana, they could also use the "great place to raise a family" angle to attract new residents/businesses there as well.

Fouke will become a bedroom community to Texarkana, if it isn't already one.

This January 25, 2015 Texarkana Gazette article (behind paywall) reports that the group recommends that Fouke concentrate on community values, try to avoid becoming known merely as a bedroom community to Texarkana, avoid the type of unmanaged growth associated with Richmond Road in Texarkana, TX, and capitalize on the Fouke Monster:

With the last portion of Interstate 49 now open to provide a nonstop ride between Shreveport, La., and Texarkana, the connection may soon give Fouke a “road map” for economic growth.
During a 90-minute presentation to about 30 Fouke residents at the city’s community center Saturday, Romerse Biddle, a Clinton School of Public Service student team member and intern with Arkansas Economic Development Commission, delivered such a road map concept to help the city with economic growth ....
“For growth, you need a common vision of what you want that’s family-friendly,” he said. “You don’t want strip clubs and alcohol sales, and growth can be a good thing if it’s the type of thing you want and you can manage.”
Biddle then cited Richmond Road in Texarkana, Texas, as a prime example of unmanaged growth—owing to the traffic.
“Zoning laws are good things because they protect community values,” he said.
Besides avoiding unmanaged growth, Biddle told his audience that they also need to avoid growth stagnation—something that happened to Garland City, Ark., after 1995.
“Garland had U.S. Highway 82 and the Red River, along which development could have been made, but they missed out on it,” he said.
Biddle then to told his audience that they also need to conduct a community assessment of what is unique to Fouke.
“Show what you have that other communities don’t have,” he said. “You need to put together a community resume. Fouke has a lot of unique things about it. A lot of people think that Fouke is a bedroom community to Texarkana and that idea isn’t unique to Fouke, but it does sometimes cause a town population to decline.
“The reason young people leave their town is because they don’t find any identity with their town.”
Biddle then said his research indicated that most people living in Fouke were between 25 and 35 years old.
He the said that Fouke had a lot of recreational area and campsites could be the city’s future.
“There are two things people in this area like,” he said. “They like nature, and they like to be scared. That’s where tourism focused on the Fouke Monster can start. Fouke is a community like no other.”

Meanwhile, in Texas, 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 30, part of Interstate 369 and an I-30 bridge are now 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 for less than a quarter-mile extension along I-30 between its junction with I-369 to it’s intersection with Farm To Market Road 559. The other 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.
The third project involves replacing a bridge as well as the bridge’s approaches on I-30 near its intersection with Farm To Market Road 2253, said Alan Morrison, Texarkana TMPO study director ....
Work on all three projects is expected to start later this year.

[robbones]

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

[dariusb]

I wonder when will work began on I-49 going north from Texarkana to Ashdown, DeQueen etc.? Anyone have any idea?

[Bobby5280]

Who knows? I doubt anything will happen on that portion of I-49 within the next 5 years.

My guess is AHTD will put a higher priority on I-49 in the Fort Smith area. The short segment at Fort Chaffee is nearing completion. There is a lot of demand to fill the gap between it and the I-49 & I-40 interchange at Alma. Once that segment can be built I-49 can begin inching its way South towards Texarkana.

There is also a possibility AHTD might build sections of I-49 near some of the towns along the route and then fill in the gaps later. This would be kind of like what TX DOT is doing in South Texas with I-69C and I-69W.

The only way I can see Arkansas building sections of I-49 near Texarkana is if Texas gets a real plan in place to build their little part of it.

[bugo]

I have heard from at least 2 sources that the Mena bypass will be the next section to be built south of Fort Smith. I'm assuming it will get the venerable AR 549 designation and will be built as a super 2. It would be nice to get trucks out of Mena. US 59/71 is very narrow through Mena and the lanes aren't much wider than a typical truck.

[dariusb]

Who knows? I doubt anything will happen on that portion of I-49 within the next 5 years.

My guess is AHTD will put a higher priority on I-49 in the Fort Smith area. The short segment at Fort Chaffee is nearing completion. There is a lot of demand to fill the gap between it and the I-49 & I-40 interchange at Alma. Once that segment can be built I-49 can begin inching its way South towards Texarkana.

There is also a possibility AHTD might build sections of I-49 near some of the towns along the route and then fill in the gaps later. This would be kind of like what TX DOT is doing in South Texas with I-69C and I-69W.

The only way I can see Arkansas building sections of I-49 near Texarkana is if Texas gets a real plan in place to build their little part of it.

Yeah that's true. I had forgot about the Texas section and I agree about the sections in NWA and Ft. Smith being completed before they concentrate on any new sections.

[US71]

I have heard from at least 2 sources that the Mena bypass will be the next section to be built south of Fort Smith. I'm assuming it will get the venerable AR 549 designation and will be built as a super 2. It would be nice to get trucks out of Mena. US 59/71 is very narrow through Mena and the lanes aren't much wider than a typical truck.

Yeah, they took a 4-Lane road and re-striped it for 5. You get big trucks and it's near impossible to get around them.

[bjrush]

That is how AHTD connects new terrain routes. Bypassing the towns first then connecting the bypasses. I would guess Mena is first

[Scott5114]

That is how AHTD connects new terrain routes. Bypassing the towns first then connecting the bypasses. I would guess Mena is first

I assumed that was standard practice. Missouri does it that way too.

[NE2]

That is how AHTD connects new terrain routes. Bypassing the towns first then connecting the bypasses. I would guess Mena is first

I assumed that was standard practice. Missouri does it that way too.

On the other hand, Oklahoma built the rural pieces of I-40 west of OKC first, and opened all the bypasses together in 1970 so all the Route 66 towns would get fucked simultaneously.

[msunat97]

Drove through Texarkana last Friday on I-30 from Dallas to Little Rock...first time since the completion of the work...it looked great.  It was great to see the bypass ramps open & in use.  Now if only I-49 can move further North...

[dariusb]

^I know right. That'd be great!

[O Tamandua]

I have heard from at least 2 sources that the Mena bypass will be the next section to be built south of Fort Smith. I'm assuming it will get the venerable AR 549 designation and will be built as a super 2. It would be nice to get trucks out of Mena. US 59/71 is very narrow through Mena and the lanes aren't much wider than a typical truck.

Yeah, they took a 4-Lane road and re-striped it for 5. You get big trucks and it's near impossible to get around them.

When they finally get a bypass and I-49 through Ashdown, people won't have to worry about a active railroad which actually curves into the right side northbound lane (with an unlit crossing) of a major u.s. thoroughfare as does the Arkansas Western in that town at Whittaker St. and U.S. 71, starting near the 0:35 marker of the video.  You can't see it entering the lane but that's why the train goes so slow and is laying on the horn.  At this time it's also essentially going through the parking lot of Big Jake's barbeque, on the other side of the tracks.

 It's my understanding that there was a derailment at this curve one time.  I think those tank cars north-and-eastbound (this train is west-and-southbound at the curve) are usually loaded with propane bound for Nashville, AR.

(EDIT: you can see him making the north-and-eastbound run at this same crossing from a distance at the 3:53 mark of that video. The signal with lights in the distance (and the railroad signal to the right of it) are on the Kiamichi RR there which sees daily traffic as well, and the train is coming off of the Kansas City Southern Shreveport sub (railroad signals in the foreground for that) which we all have seen parallels U.S. 71 closely especially from Ashdown to the Texas state line.  This is a bottleneck that won't be missed, I'm guessing, when the future I-49(/I-69 link nearby) is commissioned around that town.)

[txstateends]

I've seen that Ashdown RR video before, sounds like that RR corridor needs a bypass!

[Bobby5280]

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.

[jbnv]

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've lived within a few miles of busy tracks multiple times in my life. You get used to them and end up sleeping right through them.

[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've lived within a few miles of busy tracks multiple times in my life. You get used to them and end up sleeping right through them.

I'm about 1/4 mile from a crossing that sees maybe 3-4 trains a day. Never heard any go through at night and pretty much ignore them during the day... except about once a week when someone really lays into the train horn

[bugo]

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've lived within a few miles of busy tracks multiple times in my life. You get used to them and end up sleeping right through them.

The house I grew up in is 1000 feet from the railroad tracks and yes, you get used to them. Right now I live several miles from the nearest railroad grade crossing and I kind of miss the sound of the trains late at night. I had a friend who lived 500 feet from the railroad and when a train would come by, it would shake the house and the rotating light would shine through the windows. The dogs would howl when the train was coming by.

[bugo]

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.