US 71 in Arkansas

According to transporthint, US 71 is a US Highway in the US state of Arkansas. The road forms a north-south link along the state’s western border, passing through towns such as Texarkana, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville. The route is 489 kilometers long.

Travel directions

US 71 at Y City.

At the hamlet of Doddridge, US 71 in Louisiana enters the state of Arkansas from the town of Shreveport, parallel to Interstate 49. The road then runs for 50 kilometers to the town of Texarkana, which lies on the border with Texas. The road then merges with US 59, after which both roads run exactly over the Texas border. On the north side of Texarkana, one crosses Interstate 30 via a cloverleaf.North of Texarkana, the route shifts a very small part of Texas, so that US 59 and US 71 actually run on Texan territory here. However, this only takes a few kilometers until you cross the Red River. The road then continues into Arkansas territory with 2×2 lanes. Past Ashdown the road narrows to one lane in each direction. One then still passes through a fairly flat area, and crosses a few rivers. After about 50 kilometers you reach the intersection at Lockesburg with US 371. About 10 kilometers later, the intersection with US 70 follows, after which both roads are double-numbered for a bit. The roads then run together for about 12 kilometers until the town of De Queen. Here US 59 and US 71 turn north and US 70 continues towardOklahoma to the west.

US 71 and US 270 are then double-numbered for about 25 kilometers until Y City, where US 71 goes north and US 270 goes to Hot Springs in the east. One comes here through a strongly hilly area and crosses several ridges. It then follows about 100 kilometers to Fort Smith, Arkansas’ second city. This city has 80,000 inhabitants and an agglomeration of almost 300,000 inhabitants. Interstate 540 crosses here on the south side of town. US 71 runs parallel to this highway. One then comes through downtown Fort Smith, where a double number with US 64 from Muskogee in Oklahomabegins. Both roads then cross the Arkansas River and enter the suburb of Van Buren, where they rejoin I-540. A little further, at Alma, US 71 turns north and US 64 continues east, parallel to I-40.

One then crosses Interstate 40. US 71 then runs parallel to Interstate 49 to Fayetteville, a distance of over 80 kilometers through the Ozark Mountains. These are quite high here by Midwestern standards and US 71 runs over 600 meters above the edge of the White Rock Wildlife Management Area. The last kilometers before Fayetteville the road again has 2×2 lanes and then runs through this town. Here you cross the US 62. The town of Fayetteville merges into the town of Springdale, where one crosses US 412 from Tulsa. Then follows the town of Rogers, after which US 71 merges with I-49. On the north side of Bentonville, I-49 ends and US 71 goes as 2×2 divided highwayon to the Missouri border, about 10 miles north. US 71 in Missouri then continues to Joplin and Kansas City.

History

According to travelationary, US 71 was created in 1926 and the route has not changed substantially in Arkansas since then. Several sections have been replaced by highways, most notably between Fort Smith and Bella Vista in the state’s northwest. In the 1970s, I-540 was built around Fort Smith, eliminating north-south traffic on US 71 through downtown. In the late 1990s, the highway section was opened further to Fayetteville, so that US 71’s through-importance here also expired from 1999. In 2001 the eastern bypass of Texarkana opened and in 2004/2005 the rest to the border with Louisiana, so that the US 71 here too no longer has an overriding interest.

Future

US 71 is part of the Interstate 49 corridor. The intention is that the entire US 71 will eventually be replaced by I-49, which should run from New Orleans to Kansas City. Currently, most of US 71 between Texarkana and Fort Smith is still single-lane. Particularly urgent is the Bella Vista bypass on the Missouri border.

Traffic intensities

Every day, 4,700 vehicles drive near the Louisiana border, and 2,300 vehicles closer to Texarkana, where SR-549 parallels. North of Texarkana, 13,000 vehicles drive up to Ashdown, dropping to 4,500 vehicles halfway between Texarkana and The Queen. Between De Queen and Mena, 4,300 to 7,000 vehicles and 3,000 to 9,000 vehicles ran between Mena and Fort Smith.

The section parallel to I-49 between Fort Smith and Fayetteville has only 700 vehicles per day at some points. I-49 handles most of the traffic here. The road in the Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers metropolitan area is busy, with 31,000 vehicles in Springdale and 34,000 vehicles at Rogers. 21,000 vehicles drove through Belle Vista.