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[Grzrd]

HIGHWAY 549 OPENS TO TRAFFIC IN TEXARKANA WEDNESDAY:

Highway 549 will open to traffic Wednesday, May 15th in Texarkana, according to Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) officials ....
It was hoped that Highway 549 would open to traffic last week. However, poor weather conditions contributed to a delay. Work is now being completed and the highway will open to traffic during the day on Wednesday.

[O Tamandua]

Good work, grzd.

For those who haven't seen it, here's something that someday will be a memory when I-49 is finally built between Fort Smith and Texarkana.  Since towns were once built around railroads, many towns once had rails running through their main streets..."street running" is the term railfans/"foamers" use.

The video above shows the Arkansas Western trains which run briefly through Whittaker Street and turn right into the right northbound lane of U.S. 71 in Ashdown.  The line is owned by the Kansas City Southern and links the cement plant at Okay and the feed mills of Nashville to that railroad, and is used roughly twice a day.

Reason number (umpteen) why it will be great when the I-49 (and I-69) corridors are someday complete even if I don't live to see them.

[O Tamandua]

I guess the official opening of the highway above went off without a hitch and one can now drive from just inside the Texas border, a mile or two south of the old catfish restaurant (was that Texas-side or Arkansas-side) all the way down to a few miles above the Arkansas/Louisiana border.

What's the next opening on the Texarkana/Shreveport Interstate timetable?

[Grzrd]

I guess the official opening of the highway above went off without a hitch

Highway 549 is open to traffic is the headline from the May 15 Texarkana Gazette:

State Highway 549 opened today to traffic in Texarkana, said Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department officials.

What's the next opening on the Texarkana/Shreveport Interstate timetable?

Information contained in this post suggests Segments B-I of I-49 North in Louisiana will open in Fall/Winter 2013.

[O Tamandua]

Thanks, Grzrd...if I'm understanding right there are three sections (sorry I don't know their official designations) left of "I-49 SHV/TXK":

1.  A few miles left in far south Miller County to the Louisiana border.
2.  A few miles left in far north Caddo Parish to the Arkansas border (to meet 1. above).
3.  Whatever they're doing to link the bottom of the new Caddo Parish segment to I-20 and existing I-49 at Shreveport.

Almost need a scorecard. 

Still lots to do, but when the "big hourglass"/"winnie-minnie-new-hou"/whatever this new Toronto/Winnipeg/Minneapolis-St Paul to Kansas City to Texarkana-Shreveport to Laredo/Brownsville corridor is going to be called is someday finished...

[US71]

I drove AR 549 at Texarkana today and have the following observations:

-AR 151 has replaced AR 245 between the Arkansas-Texas State Line and the AR 549 Interchange. It is only posted Eastbound (except at US 71/AR 549). Westbound it is posted as "TO US 59".

-AR 245 has been  fully decommissioned. It no longer exists at all at Texarkana, replaced by Four States Fairground Road. A couple signs remain, but those are likely signs missed when AHTD changed things around (such as at State Line Rd).

-The ramps to/from Arkansas Blvd on 549 are being resurfaced. The new pavement for 549 is taller than the exit ramp pavement, so that's being rectified.

-Signs for SB 549 north of Texarkana at US 71 only include 71 and no mention of US 59.

-The interchange at US 67 (Exit 34) has been eliminated.

[apjung]

Interesting, an entire interchange being eliminated. The only other instance that I can think of even coming close to this was the I-10 Louisiana Exit 251 which was originally planned for future suburban development on drained swamp land. Exit 251 finally opened in 1999 for Bayou Sauvage Wildlife Refuge Swamp Tours but closed again shortly after Hurricane Katrina and the entrance/exit ramps torn up and removed when I-10 was resurfaced.

[NE2]

More like relocated to 19th Street. Not so rare.

[US71]

More like relocated to 19th Street. Not so rare.

19th was extended south to US 82, actually.

[NE2]

US 82 already existed as an interchange. 19th was an at-grade, presumably not capable of handling the turning traffic from US 67.

[lamsalfl]

Is this whole road open now north of I-30?  Google being so aggressive has thrown out any semblance of knowing what is real and what is decades in the future.

[jerryarkansas]

Is this whole road open now north of I-30?  Google being so aggressive has thrown out any semblance of knowing what is real and what is decades in the future.

Yeah it is.

[US71]

Is this whole road open now north of I-30?  Google being so aggressive has thrown out any semblance of knowing what is real and what is decades in the future.

Yes, the road is open (drove it yesterday, both directions)

I just sent Google a note about 245 being decommissioned and the US 67 exit being closed. Let's see if they respond. 

[Gordon]

Has anybody drove down AR 549 and saw what kind of progress they are making on the Bridges at HWY 71 wher it ends. The Last time I drove thru there they Had beams over 71 but were installing piers for East Kelley Bayou. I could not see West Kelly Bayou because of access. Hope they don't slow up the pavement job that just got started.

[US71]

Has anybody drove down AR 549 and saw what kind of progress they are making on the Bridges at HWY 71 wher it ends. The Last time I drove thru there they Had beams over 71 but were installing piers for East Kelley Bayou. I could not see West Kelly Bayou because of access. Hope they don't slow up the pavement job that just got started.

I was through there in March and noticed the beams. I'll have to see if I got any photos. When I in Texarkana last weekend, I didn't swing south to Doddridge due to time constraints. I hope to get down that way in June or July.

[Grzrd]

Jeff emailed us the commission notes, which includes the redesignation of I-69 in Corpus Christi as I-69E. The notes also involve I-2, I-69C and I-369:

(above quote from I-69 in TX thread)

As Alex posted in the above thread, the Texas Transportation Commission has approved the I-369 designation in Texarkana:

This minute order designates the following highway segments:
• A 3.5 mile segment of US 59, from I-30 to State Loop 151 in Texarkana, to be designated as
I-369 ....
AASHTO must take action to approve the application. ....
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) must confirm that the highway segment meets the applicable Interstate designation regulations and criteria, and approve any associated design exception requests. Following such confirmation, the FHWA Administrator must take action to approve the addition of the highway segment to the Interstate Highway System. As of May 24, 2013, AASHTO and the FHWA Administrator have issued the required approvals.

Bring on the I-369 shields!

edit

http://www.texarkanampo.org/documents/upcoming-activities/I-69-Proposed-Planning-Corridor-Citizen-Alternative.pdf

The Texarkana MPO study corridor (from link in quote at top of post) is below:

A question that has been in the back of mind is whether the entire I-69 Spur from Tenaha to Texarkana is intended to be designated as I-369 or as an I-x69 that would connect to the planned West Loop under study in the above map. This article reports that the current intent is to designate the entire approximate 115 miles of the I-69 Spur as I-369:

The Transportation Commission also designated a five-mile section of US 59 freeway on the southwest side of Texarkana as Interstate 369. The three-digit I-69 spur designation will eventually be given to the entire 115-mile section of US 59 from Texarkana to a point near Tenaha in Shelby County. This is necessary because the planned national route for I-69 leaves Texas following US 84 near Joaquin and heads northeast into Louisiana and southeast Arkansas.

[Grzrd]

The Alliance for I-69 Texas has posted an article about the recent designations, which includes a map of I-369 in the Texarkana area:

This article reports that the current intent is to designate the entire approximate 115 miles of the I-69 Spur as I-369:

The Transportation Commission also designated a five-mile section of US 59 freeway on the southwest side of Texarkana as Interstate 369. The three-digit I-69 spur designation will eventually be given to the entire 115-mile section of US 59 from Texarkana to a point near Tenaha in Shelby County. This is necessary because the planned national route for I-69 leaves Texas following US 84 near Joaquin and heads northeast into Louisiana and southeast Arkansas.

It looks like the newspaper article linked above obtained the above information from an Alliance for I-69 Texas press release that may have provided the basis for the Alliance's article.

[Anthony_JK]

A question that has been in the back of mind is whether the entire I-69 Spur from Tenaha to Texarkana is intended to be designated as I-369 or as an I-x69 that would connect to the planned West Loop under study in the above map. This article reports that the current intent is to designate the entire approximate 115 miles of the I-69 Spur as I-369:

The Transportation Commission also designated a five-mile section of US 59 freeway on the southwest side of Texarkana as Interstate 369. The three-digit I-69 spur designation will eventually be given to the entire 115-mile section of US 59 from Texarkana to a point near Tenaha in Shelby County. This is necessary because the planned national route for I-69 leaves Texas following US 84 near Joaquin and heads northeast into Louisiana and southeast Arkansas.

Point of order here, Grz...if the existing US 59/TX 151/AR 151 freeway in Texarkana is going to be designated as I-369, doesn't that make  that proposed Western Bypass obselete?? If that proposed route was to pass, you'd still have a gap on existing US 59 between the point where the bypass breaks off to the existing interchange with TX 151 that would have to be upgraded to Interstate standards...and how would you designate the bypass, then, if I-369 has already been assigned to the existing freeway + upgraded US 59??

Wouldn't it make more sense to run I-369 along the proposed Western Bypass and just upgrade the segment of US 59 from there to the existing US 59/TX 151 interchange and make that an even numbered I-x69 connector? And, simply make the existing US 59/TX 151/AR 151 corridor to AR 549/Future I-49 into an I-x30 loop connector??

Or...run I-369 along US 59 all the way to TX 151, then use the existing US 59 freeway to I-30, make the TX/AR 151 freeway E to AR 549/I-49 an I-x49 connector, and make the Western Bypass an I-x49 loop??

Too many questions, I know...

[Grzrd]

Point of order here, Grz...if the existing US 59/TX 151/AR 151 freeway in Texarkana is going to be designated as I-369, doesn't that make  that proposed Western Bypass obselete?? If that proposed route was to pass, you'd still have a gap on existing US 59 between the point where the bypass breaks off to the existing interchange with TX 151 that would have to be upgraded to Interstate standards...and how would you designate the bypass, then, if I-369 has already been assigned to the existing freeway + upgraded US 59??
Wouldn't it make more sense to run I-369 along the proposed Western Bypass ...

My suspicion is that the current I-369 is an I-69 placeholder, i.e. since it was the only interstate-grade segment between I-30 and Tenaha, Texas officials went for the I-369 designation in order to keep the Tenaha-Texarkana segment "in the game".*  I believe that there is a fear that the nearby, somewhat parallel, I-49 corridor might be viewed as making a "spur" interstate grade upgrade of US 59 unnecessary.  Immediate installation of I-369 signage may be an effort to forestall that possibility. Ultimately, I think the local officials would prefer to have I-369 run along a West Loop to the TexAmericas Center, as a recent report suggests:

The I-69 Advisory Committee Report and Recommendations, combining information from the five segment committees (and current to November 5, 2012), has been posted on the TxDOT website.  Even though US 59 has received conditional approval for the I-369 designation, the Report contains a map showing an I-69 route through the TexAmericas Center and related comment (page 16/30 of pdf; page 10 of report):

Projects in I-69 communities show how this Interstate is important to freight movement, economic growth and job creation. Examples include the TexAmericas Center, planned to be one of the largest rural business and industrial centers in the United States. This center is planned to encompass nearly 13,000 acres along I-30 just west of Texarkana.

Also, the tentative TexAmericas Center West Loop routing provides a feasible connection to a Northern Loop I-49 connection (development has essentially killed that possibility for the current I-369). It is certainly possible that neighborhood opposition may kill the West Loop; if so, they would find a way to upgrade the US 59 corridor from TX 151 southward.  If a West Loop alternative is chosen and built, then I don't think the current I-369 will ever connect to the rest of the Spur.  I think they would decommission the current I-369 and reassign the designation to the West Loop.  The current I-369 would either revert to US 59 or receive another I-x69 designation.

edit * Since I-369 is already connected to I-30, TxDOT did not have to make a representation to FHWA that it would be connected to the interstate system within 25 years.

[Road Hog]

The congressional I-69 legislation obviously trumps all. I guess because TxDOT measures interstate mileage from south to north, the future I-69 takes priority. Otherwise, I-130 would make more sense (considering there are no current I-x30 spurs in Texas and none of that name in Arkansas).

[NE2]

The I-69 legislation says nothing about the number 369 (or about 69W, for that matter).

PS: I-130 does exist in Arkansas (on future I-49), but it's not signed.
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-130_ar.html

[US71]

The I-69 legislation says nothing about the number 369 (or about 69W, for that matter).

PS: I-130 does exist in Arkansas (on future I-49), but it's not signed.
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-130_ar.html

If that's true, it's anomalous to standard AHTD practice to only post the highest priority route.

[Anthony_JK]

The I-69 legislation says nothing about the number 369 (or about 69W, for that matter).

PS: I-130 does exist in Arkansas (on future I-49), but it's not signed.
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-130_ar.html

I-130 seems to be more of a placeholder for what will ultimately be I-49. I'd much prefer that it be switched over to the US 59/TX 151/AR 151 freeway, if that section will be bypassed by the proposed Texarkana Western Loop.

[US71]

The I-69 legislation says nothing about the number 369 (or about 69W, for that matter).

PS: I-130 does exist in Arkansas (on future I-49), but it's not signed.
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-130_ar.html

I-130 seems to be more of a placeholder for what will ultimately be I-49. I'd much prefer that it be switched over to the US 59/TX 151/AR 151 freeway, if that section will be bypassed by the proposed Texarkana Western Loop.

Since the Arkansas side of the Loop is already designated AR 549, I see no need for I-130 if it's just going to be thrown away.

[Grzrd]

I-130 seems to be more of a placeholder for what will ultimately be I-49. I'd much prefer that it be switched over to the US 59/TX 151/AR 151 freeway, if that section will be bypassed by the proposed Texarkana Western Loop.

FWIW, it has been posted on the Alliance for I-69 Texas website for a good while, but preliminary alignment planning for the West Loop is still listed as a priority:

Preliminary alignment planning is underway on the I-69 Texarkana West Loop. The relief route would connect to Interstate 30 at a point near the former Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant site, now known as TexAmericas Center. It would run south to connect to the existing US 59 route at a point northeast of Wright Patman Lake. This project is considered a priority by the Segment One Committee.

I have no idea what progress, if any, is being made on the planning.

edit

This excerpt from the map on page 19 (page 25/30 of pdf) of the I-69 Advisory Committee Report and Recommendations demonstrates that both the I-369 designation for US 59 and development of the West Loop relief route are Priorities for the Segment One Committee: