Interstate 49 in Arkansas

I-49 enters the state from Louisiana between Ida and Doddridge. The first interchange in Arkansas is with US 71 at exit 4. The Interstate passes near the town of Fouke, where it has another interchange with US 71. The highway enters Texarkana and has an interchange with Highway 151 and runs along the eastern portion of the Texarkana Loop. Between US 82 and US 67, I-49 passes near the Texarkana Regional Airport. The Interstate has an interchange with I-30 before leaving Texarkana. I-49 turns to the west near the Sanderson Lane exit. The Interstate terminates at US 59/US 71. In the Texarkana area, I-49 is known as the Hickerson Freeway, named after Prissy Hickerson.[1]

The Interstate begins again at exit 12 along I-40, one mile (1.6 km) west of Alma, continuing for over 65 miles (105 km) through Crawford, Washington, and Benton counties. It goes through the Ozark Mountains and crosses several large gorge bridges. Just north of the Crawford–Washington county line is the Bobby Hopper Tunnel which is the only large highway tunnel in Arkansas. Notable cities along the route are Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville. From I-40 north to Fayetteville, I-49 runs roughly parallel to US 71. Just south of Fayetteville, I-49 combines with US 71 and US 62, forming the major expressway through the northwest Arkansas metro area. US 71 separates from I-49 just south of the Bentonville–Bella Vista city line, where it continues northwest into and through Bella Vista as Bella Vista Way, the city's main throughfare. I-49 instead continues westward then northward as the Bella Vista Bypass, running just to the south and west of the city before continuing into Missouri.

I-49 in Northwest Arkansas

The first portion of I-49 was completed in the late 1990s and was opened to Mountainburg as AR 540. On January 8, 1999, the road was fully opened to traffic and was redesignated part of an extension of I-540, with the name "John Paul Hammerschmidt Highway", in honor of a former US Representative from Arkansas.[2] Having been planned since the early 1970s, it created a bypass for the older US 71. The state of Arkansas had originally asked the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to allow this extension, between Fort Smith and Bentonville as I-49, to emphasize plans to extend the route from Shreveport, Louisiana, through Arkansas to Kansas City, Missouri.[3] AASHTO refused, and the route instead opened in 1999 as a northern extension of I-540.[3] However, this route would eventually be redesignated as I-49 in 2014.[4] The exit numbers are still numbered from when it was I-540.

AHTD conducted a feasibility study of adding an interchange at AR 162 in Van Buren in 1991, with the results adopted by the Arkansas State Highway Commission in 1992.[3] The Arkansas State Highway Commission (ASHC) studied a designation for I-540 between Mountainburg and Fayetteville as an Arkansas Scenic Byway in a meeting on November 17, 1998. One of the requirements of designation is "an active organization composed of various private and governmental groups, businesses, and agencies who are interested in preservation, enhancement, marketing, and development of the route's scenic, cultural, recreational, and historic qualities". The ASHC deemed that, since the highway was a new location route, it did not have sufficient businesses to satisfy the requirement, so the ASHC deemed itself a partner organization and proceeded with a designation study.[5] The route was added to the scenic byway system the following year.[6]

I-49 between I-30 and US 71 was finished in May 2013. The route to the Louisiana border was completed and opened on November 10, 2014.[7] The route to the Missouri border was completed and opened on October 1, 2021.

Arkansas Highway 549

Highway 549
Location	Fort Smith
Existed	2004–present

Highway 549 (AR 549) is a temporary designation the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) is currently using to designate opened sections of freeway that have not yet officially become part of I-49. There are three instances in which ArDOT has used this designation.

The first section of road to be designated as AR 549 is now the section of I-49 in the southern part of the state. AR 549 was first opened to traffic in December 2004 as a 29.49-mile (47.46 km) route between Texarkana and Fouke. A second section, between Fouke and Doddridge, opened on October 21, 2005. A third section between Arkansas Boulevard in Texarkana and US 71 north of Texarkana opened on May 15, 2013.[8] A fourth section 14 miles (23 km) long opened on November 10, 2014, when it officially became part of I-49.[7] At its final length, it was 41.94 miles (67.50 km).

The second section of road to be designated as AR 549 was the Bella Vista Bypass in the northern part of the state. The Bella Vista Bypass was first opened to traffic on April 22, 2014, as a three-mile (4.8 km) two-lane expressway bypassing Hiwasse, now part of the town of Gravette.[9] The route was eventually extended to Rocky Dell Hollow Road west of Bella Vista on May 13, 2015, and I-49/US 71 in Bentonville in 2017 with ribbon cutting on May 10, 2017. A roundabout was added.[10] The Bella Vista Bypass was planned to be expanded to four lanes, connect directly into I-49 at its south end, and extend north into Missouri, having an interchange with Missouri Route 90 and rejoining I-49 near Pineville, Missouri. The groundbreaking on the final section between Rocky Dell Hollow Road and the Missouri state line occurred on October 15, 2019.[11] The bypass opened to traffic on October 1, 2021, following a ceremonial ribbon cutting on September 30, per ArDOT. With that, I-49 is now continuous from Kansas City, Missouri, to Fort Smith, Arkansas.[12][13] Additionally, as part of the project, the interchange with US 71/U.S. Highway 71 Business (US 71B) on the southern end of the 19-mile (31 km) bypass was reconstructed from a trumpet interchange into a single-point urban interchange, the first interchange of its type in Arkansas. The interchange was temporarily reconfigured as a roundabout interchange during construction on the bypass.[14] The existing Bella Vista Bypass was upgraded to a four-lane highway.

The third section of road to be designated as AR 549 is a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) orphaned section bypassing Fort Smith. The section, which runs between US 71 and AR 22 and AR 255, opened to traffic following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 14, 2015.[15]

Eventually, I-49 will cross the entire state. It will cross into Texas for about 5 to 10 miles (8.0 to 16.1 km) and then cross over a not-yet-built bridge across the Red River into Arkansas. It will eventually reach De Queen, Arkansas, in the near future. It will then run near the western border of the state from De Queen to Fort Smith.

This stretch has been broken down into several smaller sections: the southernmost section from the Louisiana state line to Doddridge (already completed and opened), Doddridge to the Arkansas–Texas state line (eventually completed on November 10, 2014), the US 71 relocation (planned project, one 6.5-mile (10.5 km) part opened in 2015 as AR 549), an approximately 13.6-mile (21.9 km) stretch near Fort Smith (now in the planning stages), and part of I-540 (previously completed in 1999 and later signed as I-49 in June 2014).

The stretch near Fort Smith is now funded because voters passed Issue 1, the Connecting Arkansas Program (permanent extension of 0.5-cent road tax approved in 2012). It would have lasted for ten years (until June 30, 2023). At that time, it raised $1.8 billion. The annual impact for one year: an estimated $300 million. To finish I-49 in 10 years (assuming up to 90 percent federal match), $270 million ($27 million annually) would be needed. According to the head engineer at ArDOT for Fort Smith's district, construction on the Arkansas River bridge near Barling will not occur for the next few years. The estimated cost of this stretch is at $787 million, including the bridge over the Arkansas River ($300–$400 million). This segment needs to be reevaluated because the approval was issued in December 1997 and has since essentially expired.[16] This likely means that the section from Fort Smith to Texarkana (approved at the same time also) will also need to be reevaluated. This is planned to be built two lanes at a time.

In July 2021, ArDOT announced that they will be progressing to the next phase of development on the 13.6-mile (21.9 km) segment between AR 22 in Barling (project start point) and I-49 in Alma (project end point). The segment will connect to the existing AR 549 on the northern end. Groundbreaking is expected begin on the proposed southern extension of AR 549 Future I-49 as a super two-lane expressway in Fall 2022. More work is expected to occur late 2024 and should be completed by 2030. Phase 1 will be from AR 22 to H Street. Phase 2 will be from H Street to I-40. [17][18] The department is also cooperating with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on this project. ArDOT has mentioned that, after this project, they may work on extending to I-49 southward to Y City.[19][20]

Exit numbers on the section of I-49 from I-40 to the Missouri border is based on the former I-540 exit numbering.

State	County	Location	mi[21]	km	Exit [22][23][24][25] [26]	Destinations	Notes
Arkansas	Miller	​	0.00	0.00		I-49 south – Shreveport	Continuation into Louisiana
		​	4.27	6.87	4	US 71 – Doddridge
		​	7.15	11.51	6	CR 197
		​	16.73	26.92	16	US 71 – Fouke
		​	18.34	29.52	18	North Fouke Road
		​	23.93	38.51	24	CR 10 – Ferguson
		​	26.58	42.78	26	AR 237
		Texarkana	28.87– 29.72	46.46– 47.83	29A	US 71 – Texarkana	Signed as exit 29 southbound
					29B	AR 151 to US 59 – Dallas, Houston	Exit number not signed southbound
					29	US 71 – Texarkana	No northbound exit
			31.19	50.20	31	AR 196 (Genoa Road)
			32.42– 33.12	52.17– 53.30	32	US 82 (9th Street) / 19th Street
			33.66	54.17	—	US 67 – Texarkana	Closed
			34.59	55.67	35	Four States Fair Parkway / Arkansas Boulevard	Former AR 245 north
			36.64	58.97	37	I-30 – Texarkana, Dallas, Hope, Little Rock	Signed as exits 37A (east) and 37B (west); I-30 exit 3
		​	39.95	64.29	41	Sanderson Lane
Arkansas–Texas line			41.49	66.77	42	I-49 ends / US 71 (US 59) – Texarkana, Ashdown, Fort Smith	Temporary northern end; exit number not signed; all northbound traffic must exit
Texas	Bowie	​			44	I-369 south – Houston	Proposed
		​			46	CR 2320 (Hush Puppy Road)	Proposed
Arkansas	Little River	Red River			Bridge
		​			51	CR 23	Proposed
		​			55	AR 32B – Ashdown	Proposed
		​			57	AR 108	Proposed
		Wilton			60	AR 234 – Wilton	Proposed
	Sevier	​			84	US 59 / US 70 / US 71 / US 371 – De Queen	Proposed
		​			93	CR 41 (Tower Road) – Gillham	Proposed
	Polk	Grannis			98	CR 3 – Grannis	Proposed
		​			102	US 278 – Wickes	Proposed
		​			108	AR 246 – Vandervoort	Proposed
		​			121	Mena	Proposed
		​			126	AR 88 – Mena	Proposed
		​			132	CR 70	Proposed
	Scott	"Y" City			143	US 71 / US 270	Proposed
		​			157	AR 80 – Waldron	Proposed
		​			160	AR 28	Proposed
		​			165	AR 378	Proposed
		Mansfield			171	US 71 – Mansfield	Proposed
	Sebastian	​			175	US 71 – Huntington	Proposed
		​			183	AR 10 – Greenwood	Proposed
		​	0.00	0.00	187	AR 549 ends / US 71	Opened on July 14, 2015 as AR 549;[15] temporary southern end of AR 549; all southbound traffic must exit
		Fort Smith	3.04	4.89	190	Massard Road	Opened on July 14, 2015 as AR 549[15]
			4.47	7.19	191	Roberts Boulevard	Opened on July 14, 2015 as AR 549[15]
		Barling	6.49	10.44	193	AR 549 ends (Fort Street) / AR 22	Opened on July 14, 2015 as AR 549;[15] temporary northern end of AR 549; all northbound traffic must exit
	Arkansas River				Bridge
	Crawford	​			196	To AR 59 / Gun Club Road	Proposed
		Kibler			202	Clear Creek Road – Kibler	Proposed
		​			204	AR 162 – Alma	Proposed
		​	19.23	30.95	20	I-49 ends (US 71) / I-40 – Van Buren, Fort Smith, Alma, Little Rock	I-40 exit 12; signed as exits 20A (east) and 20B (west), future exit 206; temporary southern end; from here northward, exit signs retain the same exit numbers from I-49's previous designation as I-540
		Alma	20.31	32.69	21	Collum Lane	Future exit 207
		​	23.67	38.09	24	AR 282 – Rudy	Future exit 210
		​	29.10	46.83	29	AR 282 – Mountainburg	Access via AR 282S; future exit 215
		​	33.53	53.96	34	AR 282 – Chester	Future exit 220
	Washington	​	41.14– 41.44	66.21– 66.69	Bobby Hopper Tunnel
		Winslow	44.99	72.40	45	AR 74 – Winslow	Future exit 231
		West Fork	52.78	84.94	53	AR 170 / AR 156 – West Fork	Future exit 239
		Greenland	57.88	93.15	58	Greenland	Future exit 244
		Fayetteville	60.50	97.37	60	AR 265 (Razorback Road) / AR 112 (Cato Springs Road)	Future exit 246
			61.98	99.75	61	US 71 south – Fayetteville	Southern end of US 71 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance; future exit 247
			61.98	99.75	62	US 62 west / AR 16 east (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / AR 16 east) / AR 180 / AR 45	Southern end of US 62 / AR 16 concurrency; future exit 248
			63.79	102.66	64	AR 16 west / AR 112S east (Wedington Drive)	Northern end of AR 16 concurrency; future exit 250
			64.74	104.19	65	Porter Road	Future exit 251
			66.96	107.76	67A	AR 112 (Garland Avenue)	Access to the University of Arkansas; future exit 253A
			67.43	108.52	67B	US 71B north / North Fulbright Expressway	Interchange opened around November 2017; access to Washington Regional Medical Center and Fayetteville Historic District; future exit 253B
		Johnson	69.88	112.46	69	Johnson Mill Boulevard	Future exit 255
		Springdale	70.97	114.22	70	Don Tyson Parkway	Opened July 7, 2014;[27] future exit 256
			72.45	116.60	72	US 412 (Sunset Avenue)	Future exit 258
			73.86	118.87	73	Elm Springs Road	Future exit 259
	Benton	​	76.15	122.55	76	Wagon Wheel Road	Future exit 262
		Lowell	77.55	124.80	77	AR 612 (Springdale Northern Bypass) – Elm Springs, Cave Springs	First section opened on April 30, 2018; future exit 263
			78.90	126.98	78	AR 264 (West Monroe Avenue)	Access to Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport; future exit 264
		Rogers	81.01	130.37	81	Pleasant Grove Road	Future exit 267
			82.79	133.24	82	Promenade Boulevard / West Pauline Whittaker Parkway	Future exit 268
			83.90	135.02	83	Pinnacle Hills Parkway / West New Hope Road	Future exit 269
		Rogers–Bentonville line	85.30	137.28	85	US 71B north / AR 12 west (SE Walton Boulevard) US 71B south (W. Walnut Street)	Southern end of AR 12 concurrency; future exit 271
		Bentonville	86.80	139.69	86	US 62 / AR 12 east (Hudson Road) / AR 102 west (SE 14th Street)	Northern end of US 62 / AR 12 concurrency; future exit 272
			87.29	140.48	87	8th Street	Future exit 273
			88.81	142.93	88	AR 72 east (E. Central Avenue)	Last exit of I-49's previous designation of I-540; split into exits 88A (east) and 88B (west) northbound; future exit 274
					93[24][25][26]	US 71 north / US 71B south (N. Walton Boulevard)	Northern end of US 71 concurrency; former northern end of I-49 until October 1, 2021; former southern end of AR 549; Single-point urban interchange;[28] future exit 279
		Hiwasse–Centerton line			99[24][25][26]	AR 72 east (Centerton) / AR 72 west (Hiwasse)	future exit 284
		Hiwasse–Gravette line			102[24][25][26]	AR 72 east (Hiwasse) / AR 72 west (Gravette)	future exit 287
		Bella Vista			104[24][25][26]	CR 34 (Rocky Dell Hollow Road)	Former northern end of AR 549; future exit 289
		​				I-49 north – Joplin	Continuation into Missouri
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

• Boston Mountains Scenic Loop

• Media related to Interstate 49 in Arkansas at Wikimedia Commons