How does US 61 enter I-55 at Turrel, AR?

[roadman65]

I noticed something at Exit 11 in Turrel, AR where US 61 becomes AR 77 and is supposed to be concurrent with I-55 Southbound into Tennessee that was very interesting.  There is no ramp leading from US 61 SB (or AR 77 NB) to I-55 SB according to street view.  At the point where US 61 junctions with AR 77 and US 63 signs disappear for US 61 (and presume do not reappear until Memphis, TN).  The straight through US 61 becomes a service road for I-55 and of course if you are trailblazing US 61 SB you are left on your own.

Even as a roadgeek we would figure out to use SB AR 77 to WB AR 40, but a lay person would not.  So this is another case of where signs are needed that are not.  Even US 63 is not marked south of here as well, just like NM and CO with Interstate/ US Route concurrency where the latter is not noticed among road departments.  That brings up the question, how is US 61 officially ends up from two lane road to freeway at this interchange?  Then again I heard in Fountain, CO via a poster here, that US 87 or US 85 goes from city street to interstate at a grade separation with no ramps at all!  Is this one case of that as well, and US 61 is a technically a severed route at least Southbound?

[Strider]

I just noticed the same thing as well... that's umm...interesting.


but if you looked to the left of the interchange.. from what Google Maps signed.. US 61 follows the future I-555 (US 63) North to the next exit, then take a U-turn and follows I-555 (US 63) South to I-55 South. I find that weird.... why didnt ArDOT build a ramp from US 61 South to I-55 South?

[US71]

I just noticed the same thing as well... that's umm...interesting.


but if you looked to the left of the interchange.. from what Google Maps signed.. US 61 follows the future I-555 (US 63) North to the next exit, then take a U-turn and follows I-555 (US 63) South to I-55 South. I find that weird.... why didnt ArDOT build a ramp from US 61 South to I-55 South?

As has been noted before AHTD isn't necessarily known for their smarts.

[bugo]

Also, US 64 continues east from I-55 to "end" at AR 77 in Marion, according to the signage.

[Sykotyk]

If you follow the future I-555 NW, you'll see google maps has US61 listed to the next exit, then on the frontage road and then on SB future I-555.

Not sure how it's signed in the field, but that's Google Maps' labeling for how US61 gets on I-55 SB.

[roadman65]

According to street view, at the intersection of AR 77, there is no END US 61 sign and just two shields without banner.  One for AR 77 to the left and the other is US 63 to the right and a LGS beneath with Turrel to the left and Jonesboro to the right. 

You would have figured that Arkansas would have left AR 77 as the previous US 61 as it is still state maintained.  It would have made the most sense, being that they went through the trouble of getting AASHTO to move it on to the interstate without a ramp they should have left it alone.

Now NM and CO have turned the old routes into county roads, so it makes sense to not keep US 40, 67, etc. on the original roadways with the interstates dominating.  Here, AR kept the old US 61 as a state highway, and it makes absolutely no sense to re-align it if they are not going to sign it.  Remember, it picks up again in Memphis only 11 miles away.

Hopefully when I-555 becomes a reality, they will make US 63 follow US 49 instead of having it go SE then SW on the three interstates unsigned on two of them.  That should have been done that way when US 63 was extended with US 72 or US 78 being extended along the US 63 alignment south of Jonesboro when the change was made.