Interstate 69 in Arkansas

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This article is about the section of Interstate 69 in Arkansas. For the entire
route, see Interstate 69.
Future Interstate 69 marker

Future Interstate 69

Wikimedia | � OpenStreetMap
Proposed I-69 corridor in pink, future I-530 in blue
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
Length 185 mi (298 km)
Status One section (Monticello Bypass) open with 2-lanes of traffic (signed as
US-278 Bypass);[1] remainder of route in various stages of design and land
acquisition
Major junctions
South end I-69 at Louisiana state line
US 79 at Arkansas state line
AR 172 west of El Dorado
AR 160 south of Harrell
US 63 / AR 8 south of Warren
US 278 / AR 172 east of Warren
Future plate blue.svg No image wide.svg
I-530 / AR 530 southeast of Wilmar
US 425 south of Monticello
US 278 west of Monticello
US 278 / AR 277 northwest of McGehee
US 65 / US 165 north of McGehee
North end I-69 / US 278 at Mississippi state line
Location
Country United States
State Arkansas
Highway system
Interstate Highway System
MainAuxiliarySuffixedBusinessFuture
Arkansas Highway System
InterstateUSStateBusinessSpursSuffixedScenicHeritage
Interstate 69 (I-69) is a proposed Interstate Highway that will pass through the
southeastern part of the US state of Arkansas. The only section of Future I-69 that
is currently open to traffic is the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) eastern leg of the
Monticello Bypass. This section of the Monticello Bypass is currently two lanes and
signed as U.S. Highway 278 Bypass (US 278 Byp.).

Contents
1 Planned extension
1.1 SIU 12 (Arkansas portion)
1.2 SIU 13
1.3 SIU 14
1.4 SIU 28
2 Exit list
3 References
Planned extension
I-69 has been divided into a number of sections of independent utility (SIUs).

SIU 12 (Arkansas portion)

I-69 will enter Arkansas on the planned Charles W. Dean Bridge south of Arkansas
City, then continue west to U.S. Highway 65 (US 65) near McGehee; US 278 will also
be rerouted there from its present crossing with US 82 at the Greenville Bridge.
This is the western portion of SIU 12; the remaining portion consists of the east
end of the Dean Bridge, near Greenville, Mississippi. Environmental studies for
this segment, including the Dean Bridge, have been completed and the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a record of decision (ROD) approving the route
through SIU 12 in 2004.

On October 15, 2006, the FHWA directed the Arkansas Highway and Transportation
Department (AHTD) to begin land acquisition for I-69 from US 65 to the west bank of
the Mississippi River where the Dean Bridge will be built.[2] The first phase of
this section was funded for FY2010 in AHTD's 2010�2013 Statewide Transportation
Improvement Plan (STIP).[3] In January 2017, AHTD reported that the Arkansas
portion of SIU 12, including the Charles W. Dean Bridge, is "shovel ready", pending
receipt of funding and completion of any actions required on the part of
Mississippi to begin construction on the bridge.

SIU 13
US 278 will leave I-69 near McGehee and rejoin its existing routing. I-69 will
continue on a separate alignment to Monticello, where it will meet the I-530
extension, then bypass Wilmar and Warren to the south and turn to the southwest,
crossing the Ouachita River and running north of El Dorado near Louann to meet US
82 west of El Dorado between Magnolia and El Dorado.

The final environmental impact statement (EIS) on SIU 13 was completed in April
2006, and the FHWA issued a ROD approving the EIS on May 25, 2006. This 103-mile
(166 km) segment is currently in the final design phase, with construction expected
to cost $784 million.[4] Arkansas further divides SIU 13 into several smaller
segments. Construction on the first leg of SIU 13, the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) eastern
leg of the Monticello Bypass between US 425 and US 278 east of Monticello, began in
November 2011. The first two lanes of the Monticello Bypass (initially signed as US
278 Byp.) opened to traffic on October 11, 2018, and represents the first I-69
mainline project to be completed in Arkansas. In the 2013�2016 STIP, AHTD plans
start constructing the 11-mile (18 km) western section of the Monticello Bypass
from US 425 to US 278 east of Wilmar, including the planned I-69/I-530 interchange
in 2017. Additionally, Arkansas submitted a $25-million FASTLane grant application
to the FHWA in May 2016 to continue design and right-of-way acquisition for the 25-
mile (40 km) section of I-69 between Monticello and McGehee.[5] In November 2016,
AHTD submitted a revision to its FASTLane grant application requesting additional
funds to include construction of the McGehee to Monticello section.[6] According to
the 2021�2024 STIP, $69 million (equivalent to $71.9 million in 2021[7]) is planned
in FY2022 to begin construction on two lanes of the Monticello�McGhee section.[8]
Construction began in December 2022.[9]An additional $4.9 million (equivalent to
$5.17 million in 2021[7]) was allocated in FY2019 to continue design and right-of-
way acquisition for the western section of the Monticello Bypass.[10]

SIU 14
From US 82, I-69 will continue to the southwest, crossing the Louisiana state line
near Haynesville, Louisiana. Arkansas and Louisiana officials continue to work on
the draft EIS for this portion of the route, with some changes being made with
public inputs.

SIU 28
Segment 28 will extend I-530 from its current terminus in Pine Bluff to a planned
interchange with I-69 south of Monticello. This segment has been divided into
several smaller sections, with work proceeding at various rates on each. In June
2006, a four-mile (6.4 km) section of the I-530 extension opened to traffic between
Highway 35 (AR 35) and US 278 near Wilmar signed as AR 530. The remaining portions
of SIU 28 are in various stages of land acquisition and construction.[11]
Objections from the community of Pinebergen has forced planners to reconsider the
routing of the northernmost segment of the I-530 extension, delaying its
construction.[12] Public meetings were conducted in late 2006 and early 2007, and
the alignment of the north end of the I-530 extension was shifted slightly.
Construction on the interchange where the I-530 extension will tie into the
existing I-530 near Ohio Street on the south side of Pine Bluff began on October
29, 2007.[13] On March 8, 2008, the AHTD awarded an $11.8-million (equivalent to
$14.8 million in 2021[7]) contract to T.J. Lambrecht Construction, Inc. of Joliet,
Illinois, to construct 10 miles (16 km) of the I-530 extension through Jefferson,
Lincoln, and Cleveland counties.[14] A segment from I-530 to AR 114 in opened in
2013 with a segment from AR 114 to AR 11 opening in 2015. There is still a gap.

Exit list
County Location mi km Exit Destinations Notes
Drew Monticello US 425 � Monticello Open as US 278 Bypass;
southern end of US 278 Byp.; access to University of Arkansas at Monticello
Midway Route Open as US 278 Byp.
AR 35 Open as US 278 Byp.
US 278 � Monticello Open as US 278 Byp.; northern end of US 278 Byp.
? AR 293 Proposed
Desha ? US 65 � McGehee Proposed
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
References
Straessle, Danny; Sides, Krista (October 8, 2018). "News Event Notification:
Ribbon-cutting to celebrate completion of the first segment of the Monticello
Bypass" (PDF) (Press release). Arkansas Department of Transportation. Archived from
the original (PDF) on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
"Arkansas given OK to Acquire Rights for Future I-69". KATV. October 15, 2006.
Retrieved October 15, 2006.[dead link]
Arkansas Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) Fiscal Years 2010�2013
(PDF) (Report). Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. April 12, 2010.
Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
"I-69 Route In South Arkansas Approved". Little Rock: KTHV TV. May 25, 2006.
Retrieved October 4, 2014.
Oman, Noel (June 13, 2016). "I-69 corridor still priority in Arkansas, officials
say". Metro. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. ISSN 1060-4332. Archived from the original
on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2021. Supporters of the long-planned Interstate
69 corridor through southern Arkansas haven't given up on seeing the 189-mile
section built.
"I-69 FASTLANE Grant Application" (PDF). Arkansas Highway and Transportation
Department. November 30, 2016.
Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?".
MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 1, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product
deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
"Arkansas 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program" (PDF).
"Monticello Live". Monticello Live. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
"Arkansas 2019-2022 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program" (PDF).
Buerkle, Rebecca (June 5, 2006). "New Arkansas Highway To Be Dedicated". KTHV.
Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2021. It's only
a four-and-a-half mile stretch of highway, but South Arkansas leaders are hoping
its completion will be the beginning of an interstate project to bring economic
growth to the region.
Rued, Monika (February 20, 2006). "Interstate 530 Plans In Neutral". KTHV.
Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2021. State
representative Booker T. Clemons, says the project has been on hold since a meeting
of Pinebergen residents in September. At that meeting, residents objected to the
planned route for the extension, which would be within 1,000 feet of the Jefferson
County community, southeast of Pine Bluff.
 "I-69 Connector Interchange Construction Kickoff Set for Monday". Arkansas
Business. October 7, 2007. ISSN 1053-6582. OCLC 612446840. Archived from the
original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2021. An official kickoff of
construction on the Interstate 69 Connector interchange will be held at 10 a.m. on
Oct. 29, at the Ohio Street site in Pine Bluff. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Highway
Commissioner Madison Murphy of El Dorado and Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas
Highway & Transportation Department, will join Jefferson County Judge Mike Holcomb
and Pine Bluff Mayor Carl A. Redus, Jr. on the program.
"State HWY Commission Plans Work On I-530". Monticello Live. March 8, 2008.[dead
link]

Interstate 69
Previous state:
Louisiana Arkansas Next state:
Mississippi
Categories: Interstate 69Interstate Highways in ArkansasProposed Interstate
Highways
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