fbpx
Wikipedia

Arkansas Highway System

The Arkansas Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Arkansas. The system is maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT), known as the Arkansas State Highway Department (AHD) until 1977 and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) from 1977 to 2017. The system contains 16,442.90 miles (26,462.28 km) of Interstates, U.S. Routes, state highways, and special routes. The shortest members are unsigned state highways Arkansas Highway 806 and Arkansas Highway 885, both 0.09 miles (0.14 km) in length. The longest route is U.S. Route 67, which runs 296.95 miles (477.89 km) from Texarkana to Missouri.

Highway markers for Interstate 40, US Highway 62 and AR 7
A map of highways in the state of Arkansas
System information
Length16,442.90 mi[1] (26,462.28 km)
Formed1924
Highway names
InterstatesInterstate nn (I-nn)
US HighwaysUS Route n (US nn)
StateHighway nn
System links

History edit

Early beginnings, the "Dollarway" edit

Travel in Arkansas has come from very humble beginnings. In the late nineteenth century, travelers would follow dirt paths riddled with potholes, and ruts. Bicycles would frequently stick in mud puddles. Trains never became popular in Arkansas, and instead travelers would use horse and buggy to get around the rural parts of state, and bicycles within cities.[2] Across the nation, many cyclists began demanding better roads to use for travel, and these road enthusiasts formed groups to advance their cause. A group of Arkansas cyclists held a good roads convention in Little Rock just before the turn of the century. Arkansas automobile salesmen quickly picked up on the notion that better roads would help their business as well, and became the driving force behind the Arkansas good roads movement.[3] The enterprising salesmen greatly increased the movement's breadth by expanding their scope outside of city streets to farm to market routes, a move that enticed farmers to support the cause. The combination of money from Little Rock salesmen and the large number of farmers in the state made the good roads movement a formidable alliance.[4] At this time, the roads were maintained by a state law that mandated all healthy men of middle age contribute five days of road work (or a monetary equivalent) annually.

Another convention in 1907 formed road districts, but this did not help the situation either. Although the need for improvement was obvious, the citizens had trouble finding funding for their goals.[5] In December 1913, Arkansas formed the "Dollarway", which was the name of a concrete road with asphalt concrete topping. It was opened near Pine Bluff.[6] By 1914, a segment of 23 miles (37 km) was opened, the longest paved stretch in the United States. Today, the route is mostly covered by Highway 365, although some original concrete segments are still visible, and the Dollarway Road portion has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]

Arkansas' "district approach" dooms hopes of unity edit

 
Arkansas first numbered state highway plan came in 1926.

Now that Arkansas had discovered a durable paving system, concrete topped with asphalt of "Dollarway pavement", they could replace the often-broken macadam roads. Dollarway was also a more economical choice, as macadam would frequently need replacing. As Arkansans sought improved roads across the state, the General Assembly eschewed centralized planning and financing of transportation corridors, instead passing a law allowing local adjacent property owners to design, construct, and issue bonds for roads within their boundaries. The system led to a fractured series of roadways with inconsistent quality rather than a network, and was often driven by provincial interests, corruption, and fraud.[8][9] In 1913, the Arkansas Highway Commission was ordered with the task of organizing the state's road system. In 1915, the Commission was charged with misappropriating funds for officials to use on automobiles and gasoline, making the financial situation even worse. The Alexander Road law of 1915 allowed those close to a route to form their own districts and subsequently contract out the work themselves. This resulted in wild variations of how the same road was paved from district to district and from county to county.[9]

In 1917, the Arkansas General Assembly enacted Act 105, designating all public roads (except within cities) as state roads eligible to receive federal aid in response to the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916.[10] The Act had a limited scope, small appropriation limits, and implementation was delayed nationwide due to World War I. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921, was passed in an effort to remedy the deficiencies of the 1917 legislation. It allowed for funds to be allocated for a state highway system, as long as a central highway authority meeting certain requirements was in charge of disbursing funds, which was not the case in Arkansas at the time. The Arkansas legislature was slow to create an authority capable of meeting the Federal Aid Act's requirements, opting instead to stay with the district approach, which cost the state millions of dollars in funds. During this period, district leaders were caught charging exorbitant taxes for road projects, and especially where districts overlapped, bankrupting farmers.[11] The federal government decided to withhold money from states without a unified highway authority. When the General Assembly again tried to create one, the local county judges (usually profiting from the exorbitant district fees) blocked the legislation. Since Arkansas was not in compliance with the Federal Aid Act of 1921, the state was declared ineligible for federal funds in 1923.

Arkansas creates the State Highway Commission, restores federal funding edit

1924 designation meaning
A1-A9 Primary federal aid roads
B1-B43 Secondary federal aid roads
C1-C46 Connecting state roads
 
1926 map of the U.S. routes in Arkansas.

Upon withdrawal of federal money in 1923, Governor Thomas McRae called a special session of the General Assembly to solve the problem. The result was Act 5, commonly known as the Harrelson Road Law. The most significant provision of the law created a state highway system, and the roads within it were eligible for federal funding to be disbursed by the Commission. The Commission gained significant influence over construction by having the ability to disburse federal aid to projects meeting its standards. The law also consolidated all construction and maintenance activities on public roads under the Highway Commission supervision, ensuring roads were built to Commission standards. The law also modified the number of commissioners, how they were appointed, and term limits.

The state highway system was first created on October 10, 1923, by the Commission.[12] The group traced all roads designated as "county roads" onto an official map, which became the official State Highway System of Arkansas on December 31, 1924.[13] This map was kept in Little Rock as the official log of routes.

The U.S. Route system came to Arkansas in 1926, and Arkansas gave its state highways numbers to match the national trend of numbered routes. This numbering remains largely intact today. During this time, many motor inns, such as the Tall Pines Motor Inn in Carroll County, Arkansas, or the Crystal River Tourist Camp became favored by motorists over roadside camping.[14] Arkansans and Americans were quickly becoming an automobile culture, and the open road became more accessible to the public.

The Harrelson Road Law also eased the tax burdens of farmers significantly. Property owners wouldn't be fully relieved of financial responsibility until the Martineau Road Law of 1927, when the State of Arkansas assumed all road debt. After assuming this debt, the state added many taxes to the road users instead of the property owners. The State Road Patrol was established in 1929 to police the roads.[15] The State Highway Commission would redesignate Arkansas highways in 1929, including an additional 1,812 miles (2,916 km). The situation would worsen with the Great Depression, when Arkansas was forced to default on many highway loans. The Federal Defense Highway Act of 1941 ordered construction funds be used only on important defense highways, but Arkansas's poorly maintained roads needed funding statewide.[16]

Reform efforts edit

By 1948, the state's highways had deteriorated so far to become a central political issue in the governor's race. Sid McMath, ran on a platform of business progressivism, with highway reform as the cornerstone issue. Taking over as governor after the 1948 election, McMath and the General Assembly passed a bond measure to raise construction and maintenance funds for roads and bridges.[16] A special bond election on February 15, 1949, was voter approved for additional bond funds by an overwhelming margin.[16] The unprecedented highway spending greatly improved and expanded the highway system, but also enabled local potentates to direct funds for political advantage.[a]

An audit commission of the Highway Department found widespread corruption and cronyism in early 1952, slowing McMath's reform efforts. He was ousted that fall and replaced by a more conservative Francis Cherry, who sought reforms within the Highway Department.[18] The same election saw voters approving Constitutional Amendment No. 42 (known as the Mack-Blackwell Amendment) by a large margin, which created an autonomous Arkansas State Highway Commission to manage the Highway Department, reducing the governor's influence.[b]

Several other proposals for highway reform were studied during this period.[18] The Arkansas Senate requested a feasibility study for designating all roads in the state (except those within municipal areas) as state highways in 1955.[12] If feasible, Arkansas would have likely adopted a system similar to Missouri, which maintains a system of supplemental routes in addition to state highways. Arkansas considered the systems of Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Mississippi. The first four states listed previously were the only states to have comprehensive state highway plans at the time. Arkansas decided not to begin a comprehensive program, and instead discovered that thousands of miles should no longer even receive county funding due to heavy population losses.[12]

Interstate Highway system comes to Arkansas edit

State Highway System Mileages
As of December 31
[20]
Year Miles
1923
6,718.55
1925
8,345.50
1930
8,809.50
1935
8,927.41
1940
9,301.20
1945
9,753.08
1950
9,716.13
1955
10,037.69
1960
11,148.85
1965
13,294.72
1970
14,612.37
1975
15,821.32
1980
16,090.88
1985
16,117.47
1990
16,203.04
1995
16,254.61
2000
16,366.77
2010[21]
16,416.18
2015[22]
16,424.07

Chief engineer Alfred Johnson was one of the main proponents of the Interstate System, and construction of interstate highways in Arkansas actually began before the system became official in 1956. The state's original five interstates, Interstate 30, Interstate 40, Interstate 55, Interstate 430, and Interstate 540 still exist in large part today.[23] Arkansas had returned to the forefront of the highway world in 1962 because of the interstate system, just as the Dollarway had made Arkansas a leader decades earlier.[23] 1957 brought the Milum Road Act, which created (at minimum) eleven additional miles of state highways in each of Arkansas' 75 counties.

Today edit

Arkansas still suffers from the impact of the districts. Despite the creation of a highway department and numerous attempts to keep politics away from road funding, the system is still flawed. This is due partly to the nature of Arkansas - many citizens prefer to live in many very small communities rather than in small towns (especially in delta region and South Arkansas). This creates more need for connecting highways between these communities. Another cause of inefficiency is the use of Commissioners that represent geographical regions. The regions have not been reapportioned, and this causes the growing Northwest Arkansas region to be treated the same as the shrinking East Arkansas area.[24] Arkansas' highway system was consistently ranked one of America's worst until the AHTD launched a $575 million program in 1999. The project was innovative in its funding as well, raising the diesel fuel tax by four cents and matching federal dollars with state dollars to rehab over 350 miles (560 km) of Interstate highway in 54 separate projects.[25]

The state is in various stages of adding more Interstate highways within its borders. Interstate 555, designated in 2016, serves as a spur to Jonesboro from Interstate 55. Arkansas is also working to bring Interstate 49 along its western edge, eventually connecting Kansas City and New Orleans. This route is being constructed as Arkansas Highway 549 temporarily. The southeast portion of the state is seeing an extension of Interstate 530, which will eventually connect Little Rock to Interstate 69 in Arkansas.

Routes and sections edit

 
Although U.S. Route 62 runs across the entire state of Arkansas, the first segment terminates after 24.65 miles (39.67 km). This segment runs east from the Oklahoma state line until its junction with I-49 (overpass seen in background) in Fayetteville.

Highways in Arkansas do not commonly form concurrencies with other state highways, they instead exist in many officially designated "sections".[1] These sections are not apparent to the traveler except on mile markers. Because roads often stop and begin elsewhere, it appears that highways repeat themselves in multiple locations, the most recurring being Highway 74. All highways follow this convention in ArDOT bookkeeping, including Interstates and U.S. Routes.[1] A route remains a single segment until it meets a route of greater importance, or often a county line. This is the procedure for all highways in Arkansas, unless an officially designated "exception" occurs, which means a concurrency does form. These occur on mile markers and on bridge designation signs, however, mile markers are uncommon in Arkansas, and bridge markers are also frequently missing. Sectioning is used as the rule throughout the state, unless an officially designated "exception" occurs.[1] These exceptions are not common and are the only instances of concurrencies in the State of Arkansas.

State highways in Arkansas are not usually marked with "Begin" or "End" banners, which can compound the problem. The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department does provide which show the section number and mileage per section.

Signage edit

Standard highway signs used in Arkansas
Shield type 1 digit 2 digits 3 digits
Interstate none    
U.S. route    
U.S. special route    
State highway (with a "1")      
State highway (standard)      
State highway special routes      
County highway varies
 
Two different AR 265 route markers. Both are located in Washington County. The left sign was posted by an independent sign contractor, and the right sign was posted by the AHTD. Note the change in the southeast border of the state, and also the angular nature of the Missouri Bootheel.
 
This sign on I-40 in Conway shows two different outlines of the State of Arkansas.

Two-digit U.S. and Arkansas highways are marked with a 24-by-24-inch (61 cm × 61 cm) black sign with black numbers contained within a white outline of Arkansas, with three-digit shields using a 24-by-36-inch (61 cm × 91 cm) area. One-digit routes use MUTCD Series D, two-digit routes use MUTCD Series C, and three-digit routes use MUTCD Series B font. The exception is if a three-digit shield includes a "1", such as "100" or "314", in which case Series C is used. Arkansas does not have any four-digit highways.

The outline of the state on state highway markers varies across the state based on what agency posts the shields. The Arkansas state outline is more realistic on the one- and two-digit shields, because on three digit shields the state is stretched to fit the third number. Major changes usually involve Arkansas's eastern border along the Mississippi River and the Missouri Bootheel. Although the Bootheel actually cuts into the state forming an acute angle, some shields represent the Bootheel as a square intrusion into the state. The state line is indeterminate along the Mississippi River, and different variants have different levels of accuracy along the eastern border.[26]

 
 
Special Arkansas highway shields for AR 980 and AR 917.

For business routes and spurs, Arkansas uses the standard state highway shields with a small "B" for a business routes or a "S" for spur. The letter is raised up in an almost-exponential format. Single-digit special routes are printed on 24-by-24-inch (61 cm × 61 cm) shields, with two- and three-digit routes using the 24-by-36-inch (61 cm × 91 cm) dimensions. Some routes have directional components, and the N, E, S, or W are signed in the same manner. The state of Arkansas has some special shields, including an airplane-themed shield for Arkansas Highway 980, which is the designation for all state-maintained airport access roads. Another special shield is Highway 917, which is funded by marine fuel taxes.

On two-digit, non-freeway U.S. routes, Arkansas uses the 1961 standard U.S. Route shield; the 1971 standard shield is used on freeways, three-digit U.S. routes and special U.S. routes. Special U.S. routes include a "B" for business routes or a "S" denoting a spur route. This is not standard MUTCD practice.

Interstate Highways in Arkansas are signed with the state's name on every shield, with two-digit shields being 36 by 36 inches (91 cm × 91 cm), while three-digit shields are 36-by-42-inch (91 cm × 107 cm), and 24 by 24 inches (61 cm × 61 cm) and 25 by 30 inches (64 cm × 76 cm), respectively, on intersecting roads. In the field, however, signs posted by municipalities sometimes lack the "Arkansas" banner and often use non-standard numbering font. Arkansas does not have any special Interstate routes.

Historic shields edit

 
 
Left: Arkansas highway shield created in 1926.
Right: Shield that replaced the "STATE ROAD" shields circa 1950. The present-day shields replaced this style in 1971.

Arkansas first established a statewide state highway system in 1924. This system labeled its routes in a "letter-number number" system such as A-11. The roads were all designated as "State Road l-nn" prior to the creation of the U.S. Numbered Highway System. Upon creation of the Harrelson Road Law, the US Route system came to Arkansas and the system was renumbered. This system has generally remained in place, with the major addition of the Interstate Highway System in 1965. The original system had just over 100 routes, mostly dirt paths that became unpassable after rain. Arkansas began using the same pavement techniques used for Dollarway Road, which was the longest continuous concrete pavement in the United States when completed in 1913.

 
 
Left: Arkansas highway shield created in 1971.
Right: The present-day shield.

These routes were signed with white cut-out shapes of Arkansas, which said "State Road" in addition to the route number. In the 1950s, the Arkansas Highway Department removed the "State Road" and instead printed "ARKANSAS" on top of the shields, with a line underneath the state name. The shields were changed to the current format circa 1971, though all numbers were within square shields. A wider sign was created later to allow three-digit routes to use the same font size as two-digit routes.

Safety edit

In 2019, contribution of Arkansas to Transportation safety in the United States makes Arkansas has 210 out of 19,499 fatalities in Urban area and 306 out of 16,410 in rural areas.[27]

Highway systems edit

Although routes are sometimes dually signed (I-49 and US 71 in Northwest Arkansas for example) due to Arkansas' use of concurrencies, the actual pavement belongs to either the one highway or the other, not both.

Interstates edit

U.S. routes edit

State Highways edit

Despite being a state of average size, Arkansas has an expansive highway system. This is due to a variety of issues, including a largely rural early geography, a historical tendency to settle in rural settlements rather than incorporated municipalities, topography (especially in the northwestern half of the state), legislation, government and politics.

The highest numbers used for highway designations include Highway 889 in Little Rock, although this route is not signed. The lowest numbers in use are Highway 1 in east Arkansas and Highway 4. Most designations between 1-300 are in use, in some cases several times, with some highways in the 300s. ArDOT only uses 400 numbers as a prefix, such as 463 being a former alignment of US 63. Arkansas uses the 500 number to designate future signings, such as Highway 549 for pieces of a future I-49 extension. No discernible pattern exists in Arkansas's numbering system, although most even numbered highways are signed east-west and odds signed north-south. However, the actual roadways carrying these designations may be switched. Highway 600 is the designation for all state park roads in Arkansas, with designations higher generally being unsigned minor routes connecting state property or facilities to the state highway system.

Scenic Byways edit

County highways edit

 
 
 
Various county highway markers

County highway systems in Arkansas use a variety of signs, and vary widely from one county to another. County road systems in Arkansas have a dichotomy between county roads and local roads (or private roads). Although both systems are owned by the county, the "county road" system generally encompasses roads of county significance, or roads that would be used for through travel.[28] The local road system encompasses dead ends or other highways that would generally not be used by the traveling public, except for adjacent property owners. Generally, local roads are not subject to improvement projects by county highway departments.

No signing convention exists for county routes in Arkansas. Many counties do not sign the county road numbers, relying instead on names posted on traditional "blade" street signs.

Forest routes edit

 
Federal Forest Highway 1110, part of the Sylamore Scenic Byway.

The U.S. Forest Service maintains Federal Forest Highways in Arkansas within the National Forests of Arkansas. As of January 2017, the total mileage of these roads is 285.452 miles (459.390 km).[c] Almost all Forest Roads are gravel or dirt, leading to campgrounds, maintenance areas, or trails.[d]

Levee roads edit

Levee roads in Arkansas are owned and maintained by levee authorities. Most of these routes are narrow, unpaved paths atop a levee to provide access for levee maintenance. Levee roads are mostly located in eastern Arkansas, especially along the Mississippi River.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "While the Highway 9 project was still underway, I told [State Representative] Olen Fullerton that we were going to run into some [political] trouble if we didn't start some construction in other parts of [Conway] [C]ounty. He understood the situation and over the next three years we got construction going in every direction" - Conway County Sheriff Marlin Hawkins.[17]
  2. ^ For 231,529; Against, 78,291[19]
  3. ^ Calculated by sorting all roads by Road Class = FE (Federal) and summing Length field.[28]
  4. ^ Calculated by sorting all roads by Road Class = FE (Federal) and summing Length field depending upon the value in Road Surface Type field (P, Paved or U, Unpaved). Results are 259.386 miles of unpaved roads (90.9%) and 26.066 miles (9.1%) of unpaved.[28]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "[Arkansas] State Highways 2009 (Database)." April 2010. AHTD: Planning and Research Division. Database. 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  2. ^ McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 4. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  3. ^ Cook, Larry (1977). The good roads movement: the Arkansas experience, 1900-1923 (Thesis). Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas. p. 2. OCLC 55602647.
  4. ^ Cook, Larry (1977). The good roads movement: the Arkansas experience, 1900-1923 (Thesis). Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas. p. 4. OCLC 55602647.
  5. ^ McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 5. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  6. ^ McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 7. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  7. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  8. ^ "Johnson III" (2019), p. 8.
  9. ^ a b McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 9. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  10. ^ Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department: Planning and Research Division, Policy Analysis Section (2010). (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2020.
  11. ^ McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 10. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  12. ^ a b c "The Public Roads of Arkansas and their Use." (Report to Committee on Roads and Highways of the Legislative Council) Arkansas State Highway Commission. July 1956.
  13. ^ "Map of State of Arkansas Showing System of Primary and Secondary Federal Aid Roads and Connecting State Roads and Progress of Improvements." December 31, 1924. Arkansas State Highway Department. Map. July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  14. ^ McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 13. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  15. ^ McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965." Article. 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Page 10. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  16. ^ a b c "Governors" (1995), p. 212.
  17. ^ Hawkins, Marlin; Williams, C. Fred (1991). How I Stole Elections : the Autobiography of Sheriff Marlin Hawkins. Morrilton, AR: Publisher not identified. p. 175. ISBN 9780892212163. LCCN 91-66559. OCLC 25029004.
  18. ^ a b "Governors" (1995), p. 220.
  19. ^ Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department: Planning and Research Division, Policy Analysis Section (2010). (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. p. 92. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2020.
  20. ^ "Appendix H: State Highway System Mileages • 1923 - 1991". Historical review: Arkansas State Highway Commission and Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, 1913-1992 (PDF). Vol. 2. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. April 2004. pp. 252–253.
  21. ^ System Information and Research Division, Asset Management Section (2010). "Road and Street Mileage Report" (Database). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  22. ^ System Information and Research Division, Asset Management Section (2015). "Road and Street Mileage Report" (Database). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  23. ^ a b McLaren, Christie. (PDF). p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  24. ^ Brummett, John. "Arkansas highways — what a mess." Arkansas News. Article. 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  25. ^ Oman, Noel E. "State highway chief to retire from agency after 46 years' service." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. pp. 1B, 6B. June 2, 2010.
  26. ^ Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer (Map) (Second ed.). DeLorme.
  27. ^ "Fatality Facts 2019: State by state".
  28. ^ a b c "Arkansas Centerline File" (SHP). Little Rock: Arkansas GIS Office. January 4, 2017 [First published September 29, 2014]. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

External links edit

  • Arkansas Highways

arkansas, highway, system, made, highways, designated, interstates, highways, state, highways, state, arkansas, system, maintained, arkansas, department, transportation, ardot, known, arkansas, state, highway, department, until, 1977, arkansas, state, highway,. The Arkansas Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates U S Highways and State Highways in the US state of Arkansas The system is maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation ArDOT known as the Arkansas State Highway Department AHD until 1977 and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department AHTD from 1977 to 2017 The system contains 16 442 90 miles 26 462 28 km of Interstates U S Routes state highways and special routes The shortest members are unsigned state highways Arkansas Highway 806 and Arkansas Highway 885 both 0 09 miles 0 14 km in length The longest route is U S Route 67 which runs 296 95 miles 477 89 km from Texarkana to Missouri Highway markers for Interstate 40 US Highway 62 and AR 7A map of highways in the state of ArkansasSystem informationLength16 442 90 mi 1 26 462 28 km Formed1924Highway namesInterstatesInterstate nn I nn US HighwaysUS Route n US nn StateHighway nnSystem linksArkansas Highway System Interstate US State Business Spurs Suffixed Scenic Heritage Contents 1 History 1 1 Early beginnings the Dollarway 1 2 Arkansas district approach dooms hopes of unity 1 3 Arkansas creates the State Highway Commission restores federal funding 1 4 Reform efforts 1 5 Interstate Highway system comes to Arkansas 1 6 Today 2 Routes and sections 3 Signage 3 1 Historic shields 4 Safety 5 Highway systems 5 1 Interstates 5 2 U S routes 5 3 State Highways 5 4 Scenic Byways 5 5 County highways 5 6 Forest routes 5 7 Levee roads 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksHistory editEarly beginnings the Dollarway edit Main article Dollarway Road Travel in Arkansas has come from very humble beginnings In the late nineteenth century travelers would follow dirt paths riddled with potholes and ruts Bicycles would frequently stick in mud puddles Trains never became popular in Arkansas and instead travelers would use horse and buggy to get around the rural parts of state and bicycles within cities 2 Across the nation many cyclists began demanding better roads to use for travel and these road enthusiasts formed groups to advance their cause A group of Arkansas cyclists held a good roads convention in Little Rock just before the turn of the century Arkansas automobile salesmen quickly picked up on the notion that better roads would help their business as well and became the driving force behind the Arkansas good roads movement 3 The enterprising salesmen greatly increased the movement s breadth by expanding their scope outside of city streets to farm to market routes a move that enticed farmers to support the cause The combination of money from Little Rock salesmen and the large number of farmers in the state made the good roads movement a formidable alliance 4 At this time the roads were maintained by a state law that mandated all healthy men of middle age contribute five days of road work or a monetary equivalent annually Another convention in 1907 formed road districts but this did not help the situation either Although the need for improvement was obvious the citizens had trouble finding funding for their goals 5 In December 1913 Arkansas formed the Dollarway which was the name of a concrete road with asphalt concrete topping It was opened near Pine Bluff 6 By 1914 a segment of 23 miles 37 km was opened the longest paved stretch in the United States Today the route is mostly covered by Highway 365 although some original concrete segments are still visible and the Dollarway Road portion has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places 7 Arkansas district approach dooms hopes of unity edit nbsp Arkansas first numbered state highway plan came in 1926 Now that Arkansas had discovered a durable paving system concrete topped with asphalt of Dollarway pavement they could replace the often broken macadam roads Dollarway was also a more economical choice as macadam would frequently need replacing As Arkansans sought improved roads across the state the General Assembly eschewed centralized planning and financing of transportation corridors instead passing a law allowing local adjacent property owners to design construct and issue bonds for roads within their boundaries The system led to a fractured series of roadways with inconsistent quality rather than a network and was often driven by provincial interests corruption and fraud 8 9 In 1913 the Arkansas Highway Commission was ordered with the task of organizing the state s road system In 1915 the Commission was charged with misappropriating funds for officials to use on automobiles and gasoline making the financial situation even worse The Alexander Road law of 1915 allowed those close to a route to form their own districts and subsequently contract out the work themselves This resulted in wild variations of how the same road was paved from district to district and from county to county 9 In 1917 the Arkansas General Assembly enacted Act 105 designating all public roads except within cities as state roads eligible to receive federal aid in response to the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 10 The Act had a limited scope small appropriation limits and implementation was delayed nationwide due to World War I The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 was passed in an effort to remedy the deficiencies of the 1917 legislation It allowed for funds to be allocated for a state highway system as long as a central highway authority meeting certain requirements was in charge of disbursing funds which was not the case in Arkansas at the time The Arkansas legislature was slow to create an authority capable of meeting the Federal Aid Act s requirements opting instead to stay with the district approach which cost the state millions of dollars in funds During this period district leaders were caught charging exorbitant taxes for road projects and especially where districts overlapped bankrupting farmers 11 The federal government decided to withhold money from states without a unified highway authority When the General Assembly again tried to create one the local county judges usually profiting from the exorbitant district fees blocked the legislation Since Arkansas was not in compliance with the Federal Aid Act of 1921 the state was declared ineligible for federal funds in 1923 Arkansas creates the State Highway Commission restores federal funding edit 1924 designation meaning A1 A9 Primary federal aid roads B1 B43 Secondary federal aid roads C1 C46 Connecting state roads nbsp 1926 map of the U S routes in Arkansas Upon withdrawal of federal money in 1923 Governor Thomas McRae called a special session of the General Assembly to solve the problem The result was Act 5 commonly known as the Harrelson Road Law The most significant provision of the law created a state highway system and the roads within it were eligible for federal funding to be disbursed by the Commission The Commission gained significant influence over construction by having the ability to disburse federal aid to projects meeting its standards The law also consolidated all construction and maintenance activities on public roads under the Highway Commission supervision ensuring roads were built to Commission standards The law also modified the number of commissioners how they were appointed and term limits The state highway system was first created on October 10 1923 by the Commission 12 The group traced all roads designated as county roads onto an official map which became the official State Highway System of Arkansas on December 31 1924 13 This map was kept in Little Rock as the official log of routes The U S Route system came to Arkansas in 1926 and Arkansas gave its state highways numbers to match the national trend of numbered routes This numbering remains largely intact today During this time many motor inns such as the Tall Pines Motor Inn in Carroll County Arkansas or the Crystal River Tourist Camp became favored by motorists over roadside camping 14 Arkansans and Americans were quickly becoming an automobile culture and the open road became more accessible to the public The Harrelson Road Law also eased the tax burdens of farmers significantly Property owners wouldn t be fully relieved of financial responsibility until the Martineau Road Law of 1927 when the State of Arkansas assumed all road debt After assuming this debt the state added many taxes to the road users instead of the property owners The State Road Patrol was established in 1929 to police the roads 15 The State Highway Commission would redesignate Arkansas highways in 1929 including an additional 1 812 miles 2 916 km The situation would worsen with the Great Depression when Arkansas was forced to default on many highway loans The Federal Defense Highway Act of 1941 ordered construction funds be used only on important defense highways but Arkansas s poorly maintained roads needed funding statewide 16 Reform efforts edit By 1948 the state s highways had deteriorated so far to become a central political issue in the governor s race Sid McMath ran on a platform of business progressivism with highway reform as the cornerstone issue Taking over as governor after the 1948 election McMath and the General Assembly passed a bond measure to raise construction and maintenance funds for roads and bridges 16 A special bond election on February 15 1949 was voter approved for additional bond funds by an overwhelming margin 16 The unprecedented highway spending greatly improved and expanded the highway system but also enabled local potentates to direct funds for political advantage a An audit commission of the Highway Department found widespread corruption and cronyism in early 1952 slowing McMath s reform efforts He was ousted that fall and replaced by a more conservative Francis Cherry who sought reforms within the Highway Department 18 The same election saw voters approving Constitutional Amendment No 42 known as the Mack Blackwell Amendment by a large margin which created an autonomous Arkansas State Highway Commission to manage the Highway Department reducing the governor s influence b Several other proposals for highway reform were studied during this period 18 The Arkansas Senate requested a feasibility study for designating all roads in the state except those within municipal areas as state highways in 1955 12 If feasible Arkansas would have likely adopted a system similar to Missouri which maintains a system of supplemental routes in addition to state highways Arkansas considered the systems of Delaware North Carolina Virginia West Virginia Tennessee Missouri and Mississippi The first four states listed previously were the only states to have comprehensive state highway plans at the time Arkansas decided not to begin a comprehensive program and instead discovered that thousands of miles should no longer even receive county funding due to heavy population losses 12 Interstate Highway system comes to Arkansas edit State Highway System MileagesAs of December 31 20 Year Miles 1923 6 718 55 1925 8 345 50 1930 8 809 50 1935 8 927 41 1940 9 301 20 1945 9 753 08 1950 9 716 13 1955 10 037 69 1960 11 148 85 1965 13 294 72 1970 14 612 37 1975 15 821 32 1980 16 090 88 1985 16 117 47 1990 16 203 04 1995 16 254 61 2000 16 366 77 2010 21 16 416 18 2015 22 16 424 07 Chief engineer Alfred Johnson was one of the main proponents of the Interstate System and construction of interstate highways in Arkansas actually began before the system became official in 1956 The state s original five interstates Interstate 30 Interstate 40 Interstate 55 Interstate 430 and Interstate 540 still exist in large part today 23 Arkansas had returned to the forefront of the highway world in 1962 because of the interstate system just as the Dollarway had made Arkansas a leader decades earlier 23 1957 brought the Milum Road Act which created at minimum eleven additional miles of state highways in each of Arkansas 75 counties Today edit Arkansas still suffers from the impact of the districts Despite the creation of a highway department and numerous attempts to keep politics away from road funding the system is still flawed This is due partly to the nature of Arkansas many citizens prefer to live in many very small communities rather than in small towns especially in delta region and South Arkansas This creates more need for connecting highways between these communities Another cause of inefficiency is the use of Commissioners that represent geographical regions The regions have not been reapportioned and this causes the growing Northwest Arkansas region to be treated the same as the shrinking East Arkansas area 24 Arkansas highway system was consistently ranked one of America s worst until the AHTD launched a 575 million program in 1999 The project was innovative in its funding as well raising the diesel fuel tax by four cents and matching federal dollars with state dollars to rehab over 350 miles 560 km of Interstate highway in 54 separate projects 25 The state is in various stages of adding more Interstate highways within its borders Interstate 555 designated in 2016 serves as a spur to Jonesboro from Interstate 55 Arkansas is also working to bring Interstate 49 along its western edge eventually connecting Kansas City and New Orleans This route is being constructed as Arkansas Highway 549 temporarily The southeast portion of the state is seeing an extension of Interstate 530 which will eventually connect Little Rock to Interstate 69 in Arkansas Routes and sections edit nbsp Although U S Route 62 runs across the entire state of Arkansas the first segment terminates after 24 65 miles 39 67 km This segment runs east from the Oklahoma state line until its junction with I 49 overpass seen in background in Fayetteville Highways in Arkansas do not commonly form concurrencies with other state highways they instead exist in many officially designated sections 1 These sections are not apparent to the traveler except on mile markers Because roads often stop and begin elsewhere it appears that highways repeat themselves in multiple locations the most recurring being Highway 74 All highways follow this convention in ArDOT bookkeeping including Interstates and U S Routes 1 A route remains a single segment until it meets a route of greater importance or often a county line This is the procedure for all highways in Arkansas unless an officially designated exception occurs which means a concurrency does form These occur on mile markers and on bridge designation signs however mile markers are uncommon in Arkansas and bridge markers are also frequently missing Sectioning is used as the rule throughout the state unless an officially designated exception occurs 1 These exceptions are not common and are the only instances of concurrencies in the State of Arkansas State highways in Arkansas are not usually marked with Begin or End banners which can compound the problem The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department does provide by county Route and Section Maps which show the section number and mileage per section Signage editSee also Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and U S Route shield Standard highway signs used in Arkansas Shield type 1 digit 2 digits 3 digits Interstate none nbsp nbsp U S route nbsp nbsp U S special route nbsp nbsp State highway with a 1 nbsp nbsp nbsp State highway standard nbsp nbsp nbsp State highway special routes nbsp nbsp nbsp County highway varies nbsp Two different AR 265 route markers Both are located in Washington County The left sign was posted by an independent sign contractor and the right sign was posted by the AHTD Note the change in the southeast border of the state and also the angular nature of the Missouri Bootheel nbsp This sign on I 40 in Conway shows two different outlines of the State of Arkansas Two digit U S and Arkansas highways are marked with a 24 by 24 inch 61 cm 61 cm black sign with black numbers contained within a white outline of Arkansas with three digit shields using a 24 by 36 inch 61 cm 91 cm area One digit routes use MUTCD Series D two digit routes use MUTCD Series C and three digit routes use MUTCD Series B font The exception is if a three digit shield includes a 1 such as 100 or 314 in which case Series C is used Arkansas does not have any four digit highways The outline of the state on state highway markers varies across the state based on what agency posts the shields The Arkansas state outline is more realistic on the one and two digit shields because on three digit shields the state is stretched to fit the third number Major changes usually involve Arkansas s eastern border along the Mississippi River and the Missouri Bootheel Although the Bootheel actually cuts into the state forming an acute angle some shields represent the Bootheel as a square intrusion into the state The state line is indeterminate along the Mississippi River and different variants have different levels of accuracy along the eastern border 26 nbsp nbsp Special Arkansas highway shields for AR 980 and AR 917 For business routes and spurs Arkansas uses the standard state highway shields with a small B for a business routes or a S for spur The letter is raised up in an almost exponential format Single digit special routes are printed on 24 by 24 inch 61 cm 61 cm shields with two and three digit routes using the 24 by 36 inch 61 cm 91 cm dimensions Some routes have directional components and the N E S or W are signed in the same manner The state of Arkansas has some special shields including an airplane themed shield for Arkansas Highway 980 which is the designation for all state maintained airport access roads Another special shield is Highway 917 which is funded by marine fuel taxes On two digit non freeway U S routes Arkansas uses the 1961 standard U S Route shield the 1971 standard shield is used on freeways three digit U S routes and special U S routes Special U S routes include a B for business routes or a S denoting a spur route This is not standard MUTCD practice Interstate Highways in Arkansas are signed with the state s name on every shield with two digit shields being 36 by 36 inches 91 cm 91 cm while three digit shields are 36 by 42 inch 91 cm 107 cm and 24 by 24 inches 61 cm 61 cm and 25 by 30 inches 64 cm 76 cm respectively on intersecting roads In the field however signs posted by municipalities sometimes lack the Arkansas banner and often use non standard numbering font Arkansas does not have any special Interstate routes Historic shields edit nbsp nbsp Left Arkansas highway shield created in 1926 Right Shield that replaced the STATE ROAD shields circa 1950 The present day shields replaced this style in 1971 See also 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering Arkansas first established a statewide state highway system in 1924 This system labeled its routes in a letter number number system such as A 11 The roads were all designated as State Road l nn prior to the creation of the U S Numbered Highway System Upon creation of the Harrelson Road Law the US Route system came to Arkansas and the system was renumbered This system has generally remained in place with the major addition of the Interstate Highway System in 1965 The original system had just over 100 routes mostly dirt paths that became unpassable after rain Arkansas began using the same pavement techniques used for Dollarway Road which was the longest continuous concrete pavement in the United States when completed in 1913 nbsp nbsp Left Arkansas highway shield created in 1971 Right The present day shield These routes were signed with white cut out shapes of Arkansas which said State Road in addition to the route number In the 1950s the Arkansas Highway Department removed the State Road and instead printed ARKANSAS on top of the shields with a line underneath the state name The shields were changed to the current format circa 1971 though all numbers were within square shields A wider sign was created later to allow three digit routes to use the same font size as two digit routes Safety editIn 2019 contribution of Arkansas to Transportation safety in the United States makes Arkansas has 210 out of 19 499 fatalities in Urban area and 306 out of 16 410 in rural areas 27 Highway systems editAlthough routes are sometimes dually signed I 49 and US 71 in Northwest Arkansas for example due to Arkansas use of concurrencies the actual pavement belongs to either the one highway or the other not both Interstates edit Main article List of Interstate Highways in Arkansas U S routes edit Main article List of U S Routes in Arkansas State Highways edit Main article List of Arkansas state highways Despite being a state of average size Arkansas has an expansive highway system This is due to a variety of issues including a largely rural early geography a historical tendency to settle in rural settlements rather than incorporated municipalities topography especially in the northwestern half of the state legislation government and politics The highest numbers used for highway designations include Highway 889 in Little Rock although this route is not signed The lowest numbers in use are Highway 1 in east Arkansas and Highway 4 Most designations between 1 300 are in use in some cases several times with some highways in the 300s ArDOT only uses 400 numbers as a prefix such as 463 being a former alignment of US 63 Arkansas uses the 500 number to designate future signings such as Highway 549 for pieces of a future I 49 extension No discernible pattern exists in Arkansas s numbering system although most even numbered highways are signed east west and odds signed north south However the actual roadways carrying these designations may be switched Highway 600 is the designation for all state park roads in Arkansas with designations higher generally being unsigned minor routes connecting state property or facilities to the state highway system Scenic Byways edit Main article Arkansas Scenic Byways County highways edit nbsp nbsp nbsp Various county highway markers County highway systems in Arkansas use a variety of signs and vary widely from one county to another County road systems in Arkansas have a dichotomy between county roads and local roads or private roads Although both systems are owned by the county the county road system generally encompasses roads of county significance or roads that would be used for through travel 28 The local road system encompasses dead ends or other highways that would generally not be used by the traveling public except for adjacent property owners Generally local roads are not subject to improvement projects by county highway departments No signing convention exists for county routes in Arkansas Many counties do not sign the county road numbers relying instead on names posted on traditional blade street signs Forest routes edit nbsp Federal Forest Highway 1110 part of the Sylamore Scenic Byway The U S Forest Service maintains Federal Forest Highways in Arkansas within the National Forests of Arkansas As of January 2017 the total mileage of these roads is 285 452 miles 459 390 km c Almost all Forest Roads are gravel or dirt leading to campgrounds maintenance areas or trails d Levee roads edit Levee roads in Arkansas are owned and maintained by levee authorities Most of these routes are narrow unpaved paths atop a levee to provide access for levee maintenance Levee roads are mostly located in eastern Arkansas especially along the Mississippi River See also edit nbsp United States portal nbsp U S Roads portal Transportation of ArkansasNotes edit While the Highway 9 project was still underway I told State Representative Olen Fullerton that we were going to run into some political trouble if we didn t start some construction in other parts of Conway C ounty He understood the situation and over the next three years we got construction going in every direction Conway County Sheriff Marlin Hawkins 17 For 231 529 Against 78 291 19 Calculated by sorting all roads by Road Class FE Federal and summing Length field 28 Calculated by sorting all roads by Road Class FE Federal and summing Length field depending upon the value in Road Surface Type field P Paved or U Unpaved Results are 259 386 miles of unpaved roads 90 9 and 26 066 miles 9 1 of unpaved 28 References edit a b c d Arkansas State Highways 2009 Database April 2010 AHTD Planning and Research Division Database Archived 2011 07 07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 11 2011 McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 4 Retrieved August 19 2010 Cook Larry 1977 The good roads movement the Arkansas experience 1900 1923 Thesis Fayetteville Arkansas University of Arkansas p 2 OCLC 55602647 Cook Larry 1977 The good roads movement the Arkansas experience 1900 1923 Thesis Fayetteville Arkansas University of Arkansas p 4 OCLC 55602647 McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 5 Retrieved August 19 2010 McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 7 Retrieved August 19 2010 National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 Johnson III 2019 p 8 a b McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 9 Retrieved August 19 2010 Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Planning and Research Division Policy Analysis Section 2010 Development of Highway and Transportation Legislation in Arkansas A Review of the Acts Relative to Administering and Financing Highways and Transportation in Arkansas PDF Little Rock Arkansas Department of Transportation p 13 Archived from the original PDF on February 6 2020 McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 10 Retrieved August 19 2010 a b c The Public Roads of Arkansas and their Use Report to Committee on Roads and Highways of the Legislative Council Arkansas State Highway Commission July 1956 Map of State of Arkansas Showing System of Primary and Secondary Federal Aid Roads and Connecting State Roads and Progress of Improvements December 31 1924 Arkansas State Highway Department Map Archived July 7 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 12 2011 McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 13 Retrieved August 20 2010 McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 Article Archived 2011 06 02 at the Wayback Machine Page 10 Retrieved August 20 2010 a b c Governors 1995 p 212 Hawkins Marlin Williams C Fred 1991 How I Stole Elections the Autobiography of Sheriff Marlin Hawkins Morrilton AR Publisher not identified p 175 ISBN 9780892212163 LCCN 91 66559 OCLC 25029004 a b Governors 1995 p 220 Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Planning and Research Division Policy Analysis Section 2010 Development of Highway and Transportation Legislation in Arkansas A Review of the Acts Relative to Administering and Financing Highways and Transportation in Arkansas PDF Little Rock Arkansas Department of Transportation p 92 Archived from the original PDF on February 6 2020 Appendix H State Highway System Mileages 1923 1991 Historical review Arkansas State Highway Commission and Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department 1913 1992 PDF Vol 2 Little Rock Arkansas Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department April 2004 pp 252 253 System Information and Research Division Asset Management Section 2010 Road and Street Mileage Report Database Little Rock Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Retrieved February 8 2020 System Information and Research Division Asset Management Section 2015 Road and Street Mileage Report Database Little Rock Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Retrieved February 8 2020 a b McLaren Christie Arkansas Highway History and Architecture 1910 1965 PDF p 11 Archived from the original PDF on June 2 2011 Retrieved August 20 2010 Brummett John Arkansas highways what a mess Arkansas News Article Archived 2011 10 06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 29 2010 Oman Noel E State highway chief to retire from agency after 46 years service Arkansas Democrat Gazette pp 1B 6B June 2 2010 Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer Map Second ed DeLorme Fatality Facts 2019 State by state a b c Arkansas Centerline File SHP Little Rock Arkansas GIS Office January 4 2017 First published September 29 2014 Retrieved March 25 2017 Smith C Calvin 1995 1981 Donovon Timothy P Gatewood Jr Willard B Whayne Jeannie M eds The Governors of Arkansas 2nd ed Fayetteville Arkansas University of Arkansas Press ISBN 1 55728 331 1 LCCN 94 45806 OCLC 988572226 Johnson III Ben F 2019 Arkansas in Modern America Since 1930 2nd ed Fayetteville University of Arkansas Press ISBN 978 1 68226 102 6 LCCN 2019000981 External links editArkansas Highways Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arkansas Highway System amp oldid 1198718905, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.