Interstate 369

[KamKam]

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?

(above quote from " Texarkana; Future I-49, I-69 Spur" thread)

... 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.

(above quote from " Texarkana; Future I-49, I-69 Spur"   thread)

Exit #s are added to the I-369 Freeway between Lake Dr (U.S. 59/TX 93 to I-30) in Texarkana The Exit #s are:

112-U.S. 67: 7th St
113-Westlawn Dr/Wake Village
(NB)114A-U.S. 82: New Boston Rd
(NB)114B-FM 559: Richmond Road
(sb)114-U.S. 82: New Boston Rd.

Has TxDOT now placed the mile markers in the proper sequence to match the exit numbers?

Yes, Mile Markers start at 111 once your enter I-369 from Lake Dr. (U.S. 59/TX 93) and increase to 114 as you would travel North to I-30, Also Southbound Frontage Road Exit # is 111B and U.S. 59/TX 93 Exit is 111A and the destination changed from Lake Dr to Houston. And instead of To U.S. 71 Shreveport, It now says To I-49 Shreveport

[dariusb]

I wonder will the section of freeway I-369 and I-49 currently TX 151/AR 245 be renamed as a 3di of 49 or stay as it is?

[ethanhopkin14]

I wonder will the section of freeway I-369 and I-49 currently TX 151/AR 245 be renamed as a 3di of 49 or stay as it is?

I have wondered that too.  My gut says it won't, but I would love it to be a 3di.

[The Ghostbuster]

I suspect it will probably stay as-is, but if it did get a 3di, I'd make it Interstate 249.

[ethanhopkin14]

I suspect it will probably stay as-is, but if it did get a 3di, I'd make it Interstate 249.

It will, but just for route continuity, I think it would be a fail to not have a 3di for it, so that drivers would know here is an interstate connection from the I-69 corridor to the I-49 corridor.  I was driving on I-30 in Texarkana earlier this month and noticed the southbound control cities for the I-49 exits are Shreveport and Houston.  It doesn't straight up mean that it would be a 3di, but you would think a 3di would help better facilitate that Houston control city by diverting them from I-49 to the I-x49 that connects to I-369.

[Grzrd]

I wonder will the section of freeway I-369 and I-49 currently TX 151/AR 245 be renamed as a 3di of 49 or stay as it is?

From the ARDOT perspective, I think they will ultimately go with an I-x49. They have hinted at it in some of their documents:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3321.msg245870#msg245870

I believe it is inevitable in that traffic heading north on I-369 will probably use TX 151/AR 151 when heading toward Little Rock and points east.

* edit

Thanks to KamKam for answering my question.

[sparker]

I suspect it will probably stay as-is, but if it did get a 3di, I'd make it Interstate 249.

It will, but just for route continuity, I think it would be a fail to not have a 3di for it, so that drivers would know here is an interstate connection from the I-69 corridor to the I-49 corridor.  I was driving on I-30 in Texarkana earlier this month and noticed the southbound control cities for the I-49 exits are Shreveport and Houston.  It doesn't straight up mean that it would be a 3di, but you would think a 3di would help better facilitate that Houston control city by diverting them from I-49 to the I-x49 that connects to I-369.

Since the I-49 alignment around the east side of Texarkana arcs out well to the northeast before intersecting I-30 and turning back west toward US 71 and Texas, the continuum of I-369 and Loop 151/AR 245 is a considerably shorter path to SB I-49 toward Shreveport than staying on I-30 to I-49 and then turning south.  In the event that I-369 is eventually relocated to a west/north loop (allowing direct access to I-49 north of town), I would hope that the current signed I-369 plus the E-W portion of the south loop is signed as something like I-449 or even I-230 as a useful Interstate-grade "shortcut". 

[bwana39]

I wonder will the section of freeway I-369 and I-49 currently TX 151/AR 245 be renamed as a 3di of 49 or stay as it is?

Actually the Arkansas stub is now numbered as AR-151 since the interstate numbering came to AR-549 and the East Loop.

You have to understand the local dynamics about that stretch of road. It originally was going to be I-130 on the Arkansas side and I-49 was going to go around west. Then I-49 would follow State Line from I-30 north.

THEN Texarkana Texas and Texarkana Arkansas fell out about EVERYTHING. There was a time in the eighties that there was basically one police force. They shared county jails, etc. Not any more. There is one water system and the Texas side city manager made jabs to his Arkansas counterpart about TA not having a water department. I can keep rumbling on.  If it requires coordination between the two Texarkana-s it is going to be messy.

Texas has LOTS of non-interstate (US HWY, SH, SS, etc)freeways. Many, if not most of them, fully meet interstate standards.  There is even at least one FM road that is freeway.
It is just the past month or so, that directional signs in Texarkana TX to I-49 S have been installed.  Arkansas still has large signs at the I-49 junction with 151 directing you east to I-30.
Dallas / Houston US-59.

My guess is at least until the I-369 bypass ( some have called it a Western Spur) gets built it will remain as it is. Then the current West loop and the part going to I-49 might all become I-249 or maybe a repurposed I-549....

[ethanhopkin14]

I wonder will the section of freeway I-369 and I-49 currently TX 151/AR 245 be renamed as a 3di of 49 or stay as it is?

Actually the Arkansas stub is now numbered as AR-151 since the interstate numbering came to AR-549 and the East Loop.

You have to understand the local dynamics about that stretch of road. It originally was going to be I-130 on the Arkansas side and I-49 was going to go around west. Then I-49 would follow State Line from I-30 north.

THEN Texarkana Texas and Texarkana Arkansas fell out about EVERYTHING. There was a time in the eighties that there was basically one police force. They shared county jails, etc. Not any more. There is one water system and the Texas side city manager made jabs to his Arkansas counterpart about TA not having a water department. I can keep rumbling on.  If it requires coordination between the two Texarkana-s it is going to be messy.

Texas has LOTS of non-interstate (US HWY, SH, SS, etc)freeways. Many, if not most of them, fully meet interstate standards.  There is even at least one FM road that is freeway.
It is just the past month or so, that directional signs in Texarkana TX to I-49 S have been installed.  Arkansas still has large signs at the I-49 junction with 151 directing you east to I-30.
Dallas / Houston US-59.

My guess is at least until the I-369 bypass ( some have called it a Western Spur) gets built it will remain as it is. Then the current West loop and the part going to I-49 might all become I-249 or maybe a repurposed I-549....

It needs to be I-28 

[dariusb]

I wonder will the section of freeway I-369 and I-49 currently TX 151/AR 245 be renamed as a 3di of 49 or stay as it is?

Actually the Arkansas stub is now numbered as AR-151 since the interstate numbering came to AR-549 and the East Loop.

You have to understand the local dynamics about that stretch of road. It originally was going to be I-130 on the Arkansas side and I-49 was going to go around west. Then I-49 would follow State Line from I-30 north.

THEN Texarkana Texas and Texarkana Arkansas fell out about EVERYTHING. There was a time in the eighties that there was basically one police force. They shared county jails, etc. Not any more. There is one water system and the Texas side city manager made jabs to his Arkansas counterpart about TA not having a water department. I can keep rumbling on.  If it requires coordination between the two Texarkana-s it is going to be messy.

Texas has LOTS of non-interstate (US HWY, SH, SS, etc)freeways. Many, if not most of them, fully meet interstate standards.  There is even at least one FM road that is freeway.
It is just the past month or so, that directional signs in Texarkana TX to I-49 S have been installed.  Arkansas still has large signs at the I-49 junction with 151 directing you east to I-30.
Dallas / Houston US-59.

My guess is at least until the I-369 bypass ( some have called it a Western Spur) gets built it will remain as it is. Then the current West loop and the part going to I-49 might all become I-249 or maybe a repurposed I-549....

I used to live in Texarkana so I know all too well about the 2 dueling Texarkana's. Don't get me started on the water park/convention center fiasco. Why each city needed their own convention center is beyond me. One large center would be good enough.

[bwana39]

I used to live in Texarkana so I know all too well about the 2 dueling Texarkana's. Don't get me started on the water park/convention center fiasco. Why each city needed their own convention center is beyond me. One large center would be good enough.

Two dueling brothers seeing who can pee farthest.

As an irony the Arkansas convention center, the water park, and some of the hotels wound up bankrupt (well before covid). The city of Texarkana Arkansas who had floated the bonds had to pick all the mess.  All signs pointed to the more modest Texas convention Center doing better before covid. Who knows now.

[US71]

As an aside for Texarkana, the motels seem to be a revolving door of brands. There was a Holiday Inn at 71 and I-30 that closed, then came back as Howard Johnson/Ramada (splitting the large building), but last I heard they closed.

[Bobby5280]

Hotels changing brands is kind of a common thing. I think what happens is the hotel operators cut enough corners to eventually lose their franchise. Then they convert the hotel to another brand and/or change ownership.

[dariusb]

I heard that I-30 in the Texarkana area will start the expansion from 4 to 6 lanes around October. Don't know how true that is because as you know dealing with road projects delays can strike without warning.

[sparker]

Hotels changing brands is kind of a common thing. I think what happens is the hotel operators cut enough corners to eventually lose their franchise. Then they convert the hotel to another brand and/or change ownership.

That happened about 25 years ago when Red Roof decided to expand to the western U.S.; they found a number of Motel 6 franchisees that were either barely hanging on financially or having issues with quality control, and offered a "fire sale" buyout (including making a payment to the national M6 corporation) for about 20 of them.  Then they did some perfunctory upgrades, including painting them to match the rest of their chain, and reopened them for business.  AFAIK, about 14-15 of those are still in operation; the remainder just weren't able to provide the requisite income for continuance. 

[US71]

Hotels changing brands is kind of a common thing. I think what happens is the hotel operators cut enough corners to eventually lose their franchise. Then they convert the hotel to another brand and/or change ownership.

Sometimes.
Comfort Inn in Van Buren changed to Quality a few years ago. We have a Holiday Inn from 30 years ago that changed to Ramada, then a No Tell Motel, then Motel 6 and is now a  "Stupor 8" Super 8.

I once worked for a Holiday Inn Express that "upgraded"  to DoubleTree Club. We went from being a top of the lie HIE to a middle of the road DoubleTree.

[bwana39]

I heard that I-30 in the Texarkana area will start the expansion from 4 to 6 lanes around October. Don't know how true that is because as you know dealing with road projects delays can strike without warning.

They started this project last week. The first stage is redoing the shoulders so the right 2/3rds of the road (including the shoulder) can be two narrow lanes and they will initially begin the widening on the inside.

[dariusb]

This website is where we can keep up with the I-30 widening project. https://kygl.com/txdot-creates-website-to-keep-up-with-i-30-widening-in-texarkana/

[dariusb]

https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/local-news/atlanta/007-2020.html

[O Tamandua]

Even with all the uncertainty about, the TexAmericas Center keeps growing.  A new 150,000 square foot building to be completed in July of next year will add to their amenities available.  Another piece in the future I-369/I-30/I-49 mix in TXA.:

https://www.arklatexhomepage.com/news/texarkana-news/texamericas-center-breaks-ground-on-new-150000-sqft-building/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=socialflow

[sturmde]

It needs to be I-28 

Just caught this now... Funny!  Why not.  It's twice I-14.  Seriously though, I'd go with I-449 since it's "for" connecting to 49.  Although, I-349 would be appropriately confusing!

[yakra]

Or how about "To" 49?

[sparker]

Or how about "To" 49?

That particular "trailblazer" indication would probably show up in any case once I-369 is extended south of its current terminus at the US 59 divergence/exit.  But since TX has no compunction about route duplication, how about I-249 for the Loop 151/AR 245 connector -- i.e., phonetically, "TO 49".   

[US71]

I'm sure it has changed by now, but in 2013, it was posted as North 59 / Texarkana TO West 30/Dallas where 59 met Loop 151. 369 was only mentioned along SB 59.

The other ramp  was East 151 TO East 30 / Little Rock.

[sparker]

I'm sure it has changed by now, but in 2013, it was posted as North 59 / Texarkana TO West 30/Dallas where 59 met Loop 151. 369 was only mentioned along SB 59.

The other ramp  was East 151 TO East 30 / Little Rock.

Was 2013 prior to the completion of I-49 east and north of Texarkana, including the I-30 interchange -- as well as the full 2-state extension down to the Shreveport area?  If so, the signage might well have changed to reflect the presence of that route.  Can anyone confirm the current "trailblazer" configuration along 151/245?