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[M86]

I have found everything I have ever wanted on AHTD's website. Sure it isn't the world's most user friendly website, but pretty much all the information is there.

I'm glad you like the little reminders to drive safe, but that is a pretty expensive reminder, and I don't blame AHTD one bit for not putting up a sign that says "Look twice for motorcycles" during 90% of its usage. Especially if they funded real safety projects, like cable median barrier, with the savings.

MoDOT's completion of Interstate 49 is not comparable to Arkansas's inability to fund I-49 between Fort Smith and Texarkana, and everyone knows it. Have you ever driven US 71 through the Ouachitas? Its going to be a little more expensive than MoDOT's lay-two-more-lanes-on-flat-prairie.

Also AHTD is implementing access management in Northwest Arkansas, including on Highway 265 and Highway 112 improvement projects. Highway 12 will also likely contain access management.

And so you know, I don't care for much of AHTD's approach, but the avenues you seem to be attacking just simply aren't true.

I want to see actual plans on AHTD's website.  For instance, the SPUI that will be constructed at Exit 85 on I-540 in NWA.  I just want to view the documents online.  I had to email a district engineer to view them.  More can be done with AHTD's website, but it's not horrible.  That's the least of the problems.

Those signs that you are referring to will also broadcast Amber Alerts, weather alerts, road closures, and civil emergencies... Every other state has them along Interstates.  If they are not included in the reconstruction of 540 in NWA, then we have a big problem.

I have driven US 71 between Fort Smith and I-30.  And I know that will be a task and a half to complete.  I don't see that link happening in my lifetime... and I'm 27.  I'm not dissing any organization/entity/etc when it comes to that.

AR 112?  If you're referring to SW I Street in Bentonville, then yes, that is a beautiful roadway, and well thought out... It should be a standard... Sidewalks on both sides, a raised center median, and roadway lighting.  Was it Bentonville or AHTD?  I know for sure the roadway lights were not AHTD.  AHTD seems to hate anything to do with roadway lighting.

And if you happen to be affiliated with AHTD, US 62 (Hudson Road) east of I-540 in Rogers, has some raised reflective pavement markers that were installed when they resurfaced it... Sporadically... It's like they gave up after a while.
And if you are affiliated with AHTD, why will you not install roadway lighting on state roads, when it's feasible and needed?







 

[Scott5114]

If I may be bold enough to offer a suggestion to the geographic difficulties of building through western Arkansas, why not simply build I-49 from Texarkana to Fort Smith  through eastern Oklahoma and link the new roadway at the southern current end of I-540?  It seems to me to be a way to save money and to build the road quicker (if Oklahoma is amenable to the prospect of the new interstate in their territory).  Oklahoma's hills are smaller and their terrain easier to surmount.  Go west young man...

In Oklahoma, you run into money problems (ODOT is concentrating on bridges) and lack of political will to bypass towns on the US-59 corridor. There would also be little benefit to Oklahoma (you would be serving Poteau and Pocola and that's it). If this came to pass, it would have to be an OTA project.

[NE2]

Can someone tell me what major city-to-city corridor I-49 is supposed to serve? Houston-KC traffic is better off going via Dallas and US 75-69, picking up I-49 at Joplin, and New Orleans-KC traffic can save distance and stick to mostly four-lanes by going to Memphis and then up US 63-60-13.

[US71]

Can someone tell me what major city-to-city corridor I-49 is supposed to serve? Houston-KC traffic is better off going via Dallas and US 75-69, picking up I-49 at Joplin, and New Orleans-KC traffic can save distance and stick to mostly four-lanes by going to Memphis and then up US 63-60-13.

NAFTA.

[J N Winkler]

I want to see actual plans on AHTD's website.  For instance, the SPUI that will be constructed at Exit 85 on I-540 in NWA.  I just want to view the documents online.  I had to email a district engineer to view them.

AHTD does put construction plans on its website--the problem is that they aren't archived online after the letting.  There are some states where the state DOT does quite a good job of making construction plans available online in arrears, but Arkansas just isn't one of them (yet).  This issue is actually one reason I have written scripts to collect and archive the plans automatically.

[NE2]

Can someone tell me what major city-to-city corridor I-49 is supposed to serve? Houston-KC traffic is better off going via Dallas and US 75-69, picking up I-49 at Joplin, and New Orleans-KC traffic can save distance and stick to mostly four-lanes by going to Memphis and then up US 63-60-13.

NAFTA.

How is that an answer? Mexican traffic will go via Houston, and Canadian traffic needs somewhere to go to.

[M86]

My previous post was deleted... and it probably should have been.

I'll stand by my "nag" Missouri dynamic message signs... Those signs will display Amber Alerts, Road Closures, Weather Conditions, etc.  I just said that I like MoDOT's extra messages on those signs.  And most every other state that I've visited have implemented those signs, and most don't display those extra messages.  To each their own.

And those signs are an essential part of ITS strategies.

[NE2]

I just thought of a reason why this has come up, and it isn't an AASHTO problem, but an Arkansas problem. I think internally Arkansas only refers to the route number and makes no distinction between whether it is a Interstate, US, or State Route. With that said, I don't see why they can't just put up I-49 signs but still refer to it internally as 549 until they can come up with a different system internally for referring to state routes.

Oh please. If http://www.openstreetmap.org/?relation=1714635 can have a single number (159), so can US 49 and I-49.

Worse (from the standpoint that two same-numbered routes at opposite ends of the state are supposedly a problem): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Highway_37

And 980

[Anthony_JK]

Can someone tell me what major city-to-city corridor I-49 is supposed to serve? Houston-KC traffic is better off going via Dallas and US 75-69, picking up I-49 at Joplin, and New Orleans-KC traffic can save distance and stick to mostly four-lanes by going to Memphis and then up US 63-60-13.

New Orleans is still a major city....and Louisiana has four of the busiest seaports in the nation.

[NE2]

Can someone tell me what major city-to-city corridor I-49 is supposed to serve? Houston-KC traffic is better off going via Dallas and US 75-69, picking up I-49 at Joplin, and New Orleans-KC traffic can save distance and stick to mostly four-lanes by going to Memphis and then up US 63-60-13.

New Orleans is still a major city....and Louisiana has four of the busiest seaports in the nation.

Bold added.

[US71]

My previous post was deleted... and it probably should have been.

I'll stand by my "nag" Missouri dynamic message signs... Those signs will display Amber Alerts, Road Closures, Weather Conditions, etc.  I just said that I like MoDOT's extra messages on those signs.  And most every other state that I've visited have implemented those signs, and most don't display those extra messages.  To each their own.

And those signs are an essential part of ITS strategies.

I can understand the signs if there's an accident, I just don't like the "nag" messages .

[ShawnP]

First I believe both Arkansas are to blame for the BVB fiasco. First it was Arkansas going, then Missouri and then both states pointing at each other. Missouri missed a golden opportunity to save some major bucks if they had built their portion in 09 when construction rates were at historic lows. Sure MODOT would have taken some nanny hits from folks over a ghost road but us Road Geeks would know the major bucks they saved and would have saluted them. Knowing had badly BVB is needed by both states I wouldn't have seen the Missouri portion as a ghost road for long.

As far Nanny messages. They drive me utterly crazy to have my tax dollars go to lecture me. I see the Amber Alerts, road warnings for construction and accidents. I do not see the endless seatbelt lecturing messages.

[Anthony_JK]

Can someone tell me what major city-to-city corridor I-49 is supposed to serve? Houston-KC traffic is better off going via Dallas and US 75-69, picking up I-49 at Joplin, and New Orleans-KC traffic can save distance and stick to mostly four-lanes by going to Memphis and then up US 63-60-13.

New Orleans is still a major city....and Louisiana has four of the busiest seaports in the nation.

Bold added.

Acknowledged...for now. Until I-49 is actually finished. 

[NE2]

I-49 isn't going to magically cut the distance...
New Orleans to Kansas City via Memphis: 844 miles
New Orleans to Kansas City via I-10 to Lafayette and I-49: 883 miles
New Orleans to Kansas City via I-49 all the way: 905 miles

And the terrain's flatter via Memphis, another benefit for trucks. The money would be better spent completing the four-laning of US 63, something AHTD probably plans anyway.

[US71]

And the terrain's flatter via Memphis, another benefit for trucks. The money would be better spent completing the four-laning of US 63, something AHTD probably plans anyway.

Not to worry: I'm sure AHTD will blow up half the mountainside to have a (reasonably) level roadway. </s>

[NE2]

Why was AR 13 renumbered as AR 81 (and later US 425)?

I don't know. That one's fuckin weird, since a new 13 was created north from Carlisle at about the same time (1942-1945).

Never mind, sort of. Turns out the "1942" map is not actually from 1942. The 1941 map shows 13 existing both south from Pine Bluff and north from Carlisle. I guess they planned to connect them, but decided not to and so renumbered one. But why renumber the older one?

[bugo]

Why was AR 47 renumbered as AR 37?  (Possibly to match MO 37?)

Duh.

[bjrush]

I want to see actual plans on AHTD's website.  For instance, the SPUI that will be constructed at Exit 85 on I-540 in NWA.  I just want to view the documents online.  I had to email a district engineer to view them.  More can be done with AHTD's website, but it's not horrible.  That's the least of the problems.

Those signs that you are referring to will also broadcast Amber Alerts, weather alerts, road closures, and civil emergencies... Every other state has them along Interstates.  If they are not included in the reconstruction of 540 in NWA, then we have a big problem.

AHTD doesn't even anticipate funding the SPUI project you referenced until 2015. I recently did some work related to the project and am somewhat familiar with it.

So you want to view plans of projects in the works in addition to bid projects, essentially? I suppose I wasn't aware that lots of DOTs upload plans during intermediate review submittals even prior to the finalized construction set.

I am not affiliated with AHTD, so I cannot speak to their hatred of street lights

[US71]

Why was AR 47 renumbered as AR 37?  (Possibly to match MO 37?)

Duh.

Should have been done in 1930.

[NE2]

Why was AR 47 renumbered as AR 37?  (Possibly to match MO 37?)

Duh.

Should have been done in 1930.

Why 1930? Missouri had 37 there back in 1922, and Arkansas designated 47 (from Rogers, replacing the non-US 71 part of A-4) in 1926. Arkansas numbered 25 to match Missouri, and could have easily done the same with 37.

[US71]

Why was AR 47 renumbered as AR 37?  (Possibly to match MO 37?)

Duh.

Should have been done in 1930.

Why 1930? Missouri had 37 there back in 1922, and Arkansas designated 47 (from Rogers, replacing the non-US 71 part of A-4) in 1926. Arkansas numbered 25 to match Missouri, and could have easily done the same with 37.

47 ran from Rogers to the MO Line at Gateway. Most of it was replaced by US 62 in 1930, so that's when it should have been renumbered, IMO.

[NE2]

I suppose. Or it could have been an extension of 72 in Arkansas multi-segment style.

[bugo]

Why was AR 13 renumbered as AR 81 (and later US 425)?

I don't know. That one's fuckin weird, since a new 13 was created north from Carlisle at about the same time (1942-1945).

The initial guess would be because "13" is an "unlucky number."  But, as you said, it was reused in the Carlyle area.

[bugo]

If I may be bold enough to offer a suggestion to the geographic difficulties of building through western Arkansas, why not simply build I-49 from Texarkana to Fort Smith  through eastern Oklahoma and link the new roadway at the southern current end of I-540?  It seems to me to be a way to save money and to build the road quicker (if Oklahoma is amenable to the prospect of the new interstate in their territory).  Oklahoma's hills are smaller and their terrain easier to surmount.  Go west young man...

Have you ever taken US 259 over Kiamichi Mountain?  I didn't think so.  A tunnel would be necessary if one were to build an interstate through here.

[US71]

If I may be bold enough to offer a suggestion to the geographic difficulties of building through western Arkansas, why not simply build I-49 from Texarkana to Fort Smith  through eastern Oklahoma and link the new roadway at the southern current end of I-540?  It seems to me to be a way to save money and to build the road quicker (if Oklahoma is amenable to the prospect of the new interstate in their territory).  Oklahoma's hills are smaller and their terrain easier to surmount.  Go west young man...

Once upon a time, there was a proposal to extend I-540 into Oklahoma, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside.

There is already a section of I-49 set to open next year between Barling and south of Ft Smith.  There is also a proposal to reroute I-540 near exit 12 to connect to I-49, so having having 49 connect to 540 near the OK/AR Line seems a moot point.