US-412 / I-42 freeway projects in Arkansas: The thread

[The Ghostbuster]

Google Maps has been updated: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.2104253,-94.2848802,13781m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDgzMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D.

[armadillo speedbump]

OK, so phase 3 from I49 east to Hwy 285 will open in a few years, but is there any update on the final phase 4?  I swear I read something about AR being committed to moving up the timetable, but all I see online is post-2040.  Looking at Google Traffic just now, it would save through traffic 14+ minutes.  But I don't know what the actual amount of through traffic is.

[rte66man]

I drove the backroads crossing the western leg of AR-612, Springdale Northern Bypass, a few days ago.  They have all of the signage, striping, and guardrails completed from what I saw and were just handling the seeding of the dirtwork, although I'm sure no grass will grow until we get rain again.  And I saw the reassurance signage from my vantage point.  It's AR-612, not I-42, for now.  And the speed limit is the same as the current leg of the Springdale Northern Bypass, which is 65MPH.

I'll take some timelapse dashcam video of the entire route in both directions as well as the XNA Connector and post to my YouTube channel and link it here on Friday after the ribbon cutting ceremony.  This should knock about 8-10 minutes off of my trips to XNA from my house, since all I'll have to do is take Harmon Rd. to a short left turn onto US-412 before it's a right turn onto a freeway for the remaining way to the XNA entrance.

Yeah, we had a trip to the west of Branson this past weekend and had to fight traffic and people who shouldn't be allowed to operate a motor vehicle all the way through through Tontitown. UGH! At least now I don't have to deal with that anymore.

ArDOT, now is the time to bypass Siloam Springs!!

[The Ghostbuster]

Where are they on constructing a Siloam Springs Bypass? Has it even entered the study phase yet? In any case, it will likely be a long time before it is built.

[Bobby5280]

The bypass around Siloam Springs will probably be the last portion of the Western I-42 to be built. By the time they get around to farting with the project there will probably be so much housing built both North and South of the US-412 corridor that they'll have no choice but to bulldoze their way straight thru on the existing alignment.

Basically, it's less controversial to displace a bunch of commercial businesses along an existing highway than it is to plow through a residential neighborhood. Large scale displacements of commercial properties have happened a lot of times in the past. Look how much had to be cleared alongside I-10 for the massive Katy Freeway expansion in Houston.

Complicating matters worse: the terrain North and South of Siloam Springs is not quite mountainous, but there is a lot of hills. A new terrain bypass that swings well around town will have to deal with lots of challenging grading work. A tunnel or two might not be out of the question either. The cost of that is another factor that makes upgrading US-412 along the existing alignment ever more likely.

[MikieTimT]

I drove the backroads crossing the western leg of AR-612, Springdale Northern Bypass, a few days ago.  They have all of the signage, striping, and guardrails completed from what I saw and were just handling the seeding of the dirtwork, although I'm sure no grass will grow until we get rain again.  And I saw the reassurance signage from my vantage point.  It's AR-612, not I-42, for now.  And the speed limit is the same as the current leg of the Springdale Northern Bypass, which is 65MPH.

I'll take some timelapse dashcam video of the entire route in both directions as well as the XNA Connector and post to my YouTube channel and link it here on Friday after the ribbon cutting ceremony.  This should knock about 8-10 minutes off of my trips to XNA from my house, since all I'll have to do is take Harmon Rd. to a short left turn onto US-412 before it's a right turn onto a freeway for the remaining way to the XNA entrance.

Correction.  It is I-42.  They literally changed the reassurance sign yesterday or the day before from my view of the overpass next to the power plant in Tontitown.  Time to finally give up and change my avatar.

[TBKS1]

Wow, that was much faster than I expected!

[MikieTimT]

Anybody else gonna be at the ribbon cutting ceremony at 9AM?

[Bobby5280]

The "42" on that Interstate shield looks stupid as hell, thanks to the "neutered" treatment. The larger numbers don't fit the shield properly. So they're crammed in there looking like they're shifted too far to the left.

I'm sure the I-42/I-49 interchange will have some great Interstate shield signage. The overly large "42" will be oddly to the left and the overly large "49" numerals will be shifted oddly right. I guess we can't have nice things.
 

[Plutonic Panda]

What's "neutered treatment" mean?

[Bobby5280]

You've participated in this forum for roughly a decade and expect me to believe you don't know what "neutered" means in the context of an Interstate highway shield?

[NE2]

You've participated in this forum for roughly a decade and expect me to believe you don't know what "neutered" means in the context of an Interstate highway shield?

Wow, fuck off. It's not a very common term.

Of course I won't say what it means either. Everyone should know it refers to removing the state name.

[Plutonic Panda]

OK, that's interesting because I did notice that the shield did not have the state name on it that stood out to me, but I did not realize the term for that is neutered.

[MikieTimT]

Shockingly, I did actually notice a couple of non-neutered I-49 signs in Fayetteville on the southbound on ramp of the Wedington Dr. exit. They have been there long enough apparently to show up in Street View on Google.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/K1jLBYr88ZhwQ6VN8

So, Arkansas does have the capacity to post decent signage, but is inconsistent in doing so as I can't seem to find any others outside of the Wedington Dr interchange.

[kphoger]

OK, that's interesting because I did notice that the shield did not have the state name on it that stood out to me, but I did not realize the term for that is neutered.

We should start a movement.  Let's call them "circumcised" signs instead and see if it catches on.

[TBKS1]

You've participated in this forum for roughly a decade and expect me to believe you don't know what "neutered" means in the context of an Interstate highway shield?

Listen, I've also been on this forum for nearly ten years and I had no idea what this meant until just recently either. Don't judge people who are still learning this terminology.

[kphoger]

Probably because most people got over neutered shields more than ten years ago. 

[Road Hog]

OK, that's interesting because I did notice that the shield did not have the state name on it that stood out to me, but I did not realize the term for that is neutered.

We should start a movement.  Let's call them "circumcised" signs instead and see if it catches on.

All shields got "circumcised" when they got cut out. 😉

[Plutonic Panda]

You've participated in this forum for roughly a decade and expect me to believe you don't know what "neutered" means in the context of an Interstate highway shield?

Wow, fuck off. It's not a very common term.

Of course I won't say what it means either. Everyone should know it refers to removing the state name.

I just wasn't sure what it meant not even urban dictionary, knew what it was.

[Rothman]

You've participated in this forum for roughly a decade and expect me to believe you don't know what "neutered" means in the context of an Interstate highway shield?

Wow, fuck off. It's not a very common term.

Of course I won't say what it means either. Everyone should know it refers to removing the state name.

I just wasn't sure what it meant not even urban dictionary, knew what it was.

Not sure Urban Dictionary is a good place to look up roadgeek jargon.

I thought "neutered" had been used on here often enough for people to know what it meant, though.  *shrug*

[Plutonic Panda]

I guess for whatever reason I just never noticed that term.

[Rothman]

I guess for whatever reason I just never noticed that term.

It's not the biggest deal.

[hurricanehink]

Is anyone here still on Wikipedia? I moved the other I-42 to "Interstate 42 (North Carolina)", but seeing that the I-42 in Arkansas is signed, there needs to be an article for "Interstate 42 (Oklahoma–Arkansas)".

[CoreySamson]

Is anyone here still on Wikipedia? I moved the other I-42 to "Interstate 42 (North Carolina)", but seeing that the I-42 in Arkansas is signed, there needs to be an article for "Interstate 42 (Oklahoma–Arkansas)".

Most contributors here have moved to the AARoads Wiki, so I'm not sure if you'd get much of an answer.

[kphoger]

I just wasn't sure what it meant not even urban dictionary, knew what it was.

Not sure Urban Dictionary is a good place to look up roadgeek jargon.

Glad I'm not the only one who had that thought.

For what it's worth, when I google {what is a neutered route shield}, the A.I. answer is correct.  And the source that it cites is the AARoads Facebook page.