Interstate 530

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Interstate 530 marker

Interstate 530
Route information
Maintained by AHTD
Length: 46.65 mi[1] (75.08 km)
Existed: August 2, 1999[2] – present
Major junctions
From: I-30/I-440/US 65/US 67/US 70/US 167, Little Rock
  U.S. 270 / Hwy. 365S in White Hall
U.S. 167
To: US 63/US 65/US 65B/US 79/US 425/AR 190 in Pine Bluff, AR
Highway system
Hwy. 463 I-540

Interstate 530 (abbreviated I-530) in Arkansas is a spur route of the Interstate highway system, traveling 46.65 miles (75.08 km) from Little Rock at the junction of Interstate 30 and Interstate 440 in the northwest, to Pine Bluff in the southeast.[3]

Route description

I-530/US 167 in Pulaski County

The route begins at a high volume intersection with I-30/I-440/US 65/US 67/US 70/US 167 in southeast Little Rock.[4] This intersection handles over 100,000 vehicles per day on average.[5] I-530 runs south with US 65 and US 167 through marshland, entering Saline County briefly to split with US 167 south.[6] Returning to Pulaski County, I-530 has an exit at Hensley (which also connects to Highway 365) before entering Jefferson County.[4]

Interstate 530 continues south, passing through forested land and clear cut areas, also running parallal to AR 365. I-530 intersects Highway 46 in Redfield before entering White Hall.[7] After an intersection with Arkansas Highway 256, the route runs south to serve as the eastern terminus for US 270. This exit also contains Arkansas Highway 365 Spur eastbound to White Hall. Continuing south to Pine Bluff, I-530 serves as a beltway around the city. I-530 skirts the city to the southwest, including exits for West 19th Street, US 79B, and US 63B.

The Interstate ends at a very large junction with US 63/US 65/US 65B/US 79/US 425/AR 190, after which the roadway continues south as US 65/US 425 toward Dumas.

US 167 intersection

The US Route 167 junction (Exit 10) can only be accessed by southbound I-530 but not northbound I-530. There existed a median crossover to access US 167 South from I-530 North, but this was removed due to numerous severe and fatal accidents at the crossover. Northbound I-530 traffic must now use the Bingham Road (Exit 9) exit and cross the overpass to I-530 South.[citation needed]

I-530 State Scenic Byway

Interstate 530 is designated as one of ten Arkansas Scenic Byways for 15 miles (24 km) from AR 256 northwest of White Hall to U.S. Route 65 in southern Pine Bluff.[8] The route passes over Bayou Bartholomew and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The southern portion was formerly a wetland preserve, but now the land is being developed.

Points of interest

History

The current route was formerly designated as U.S. Highway 65. Today, I-530 and US 65 run concurrent as a four-lane, limited-access spur route. The route formally gained the I-530 designation after a full interstate-grade bypass of Pine Bluff (known locally as the Wiley Branton Highway) replaced a segment of US 65 through Pine Bluff that contained at-grade intersections. This bypasses route is known locally as the Martha Mitchell Expressway, now U.S. 65B); U.S. 65 was moved to the bypass shortly before it became I-530.

Exit list

CountyLocationMile[3]kmExitDestinationsNotes
PulaskiLittle Rock I-30 east / U.S. 65 north / U.S. 167 north – Downtown Little RockNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
1A I-440 east – Little Rock National Airport, Little Rock River Port, MemphisNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
1B I-30 west Hot Springs, TexarkanaNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
 3 Hwy. 338 (Dixon Rd)
 7145th St, Pratt Rd
 9Bingham Rd
Saline 10 U.S. 167 south Sheridan, Fordyce, El DoradoSouth end of US 167 concurrency, no northbound exit
 12Woodson
Pulaski 15Hensley
Jefferson 20 Hwy. 46 Redfield
 24Jefferson, National Center for Toxicological Research
 27 CR 4 (Gravel Pit Road)
 30 Hwy. 104
White Hall32 Hwy. 256 White Hall, Pine Bluff Arsenal
34 U.S. 270 west / Hwy. 365S east White Hall, SheridanUS 270 eastern terminus
35 U.S. 65B south - Downtown
 36Princeton Pike
 37 Hwy. 190 (W 13th St)
Pine Bluff39 U.S. 79 south / U.S. 79B north Rison, Fordyce, CamdenNorth end of US 79 overlap
41Old Warren Rd
42Hazel St
43 U.S. 63 south / U.S. 63B north Warren, El DoradoNorth end of US 63 overlap
46 U.S. 63 north / U.S. 79 north / U.S. 65B north / Hwy. 190 StuttgartSouth end of US 63/US 79 overlap, southbound exit and northbound entrance
U.S. 65 south / U.S. 425 south Dumas, McGehee, Lake VillageSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Concurrency terminus
  •       Incomplete access

Future

Highway 530
Location: AR 35–US 278
Length: 4.50 mi[3] (7.24 km)

A planned extension of the route pushes the Interstate south to U.S. Route 278 in Wilmar. The first segment of the extension from US 278 north to Arkansas 35, opened as a two-lane expressway designated Arkansas Highway 530 on June 6, 2006. [9] This extension is intended to connect to the proposed southern extension of Interstate 69; U.S. 278 at Wilmar also provides four-lane access to the future I-530 from the larger cities of Warren and Monticello, thus allowing both to champion its completion. Though sufficient right-of-way was provided and grading done for interchanges at both ends as well as two additional lanes, this segment presently has stop signs at both ends and an intersection with Bradley County Road 96/Barkada Road; it is otherwise a two-lane expressway in between.

The second segment of the extension opened in September 2013. It connects the Interstate 530 interchange in Pine Bluff with State Highway 114 in Lincoln County and is 18 miles in length. Currently the segment is 2 lanes until further funding is available.[10]

The remaining segments between AR 35 and Pine Bluff will also be built as a partial two-lane freeway, similar to the existing AR 35-U.S. 278 segment and Pine Bluff intersection to Hwy 114 segment. Initially, the only full interchange will be with the present I-530 at Pine Bluff; grade crossings will be built at other planned interchanges, but the stretches between grade crossings will be true two-lane expressways with grade separations and service roads where needed. The route includes sufficient right-of-way to build interchanges and two additional lanes later; the Pine Bluff interchange will be a full freeway-to-freeway facility designed for the future four-lane freeway. As of November 2013, construction is in progress for the next segment - Hwy 114 to Hwy 11. Scheduled completion for the segment is 2014.[11] Eventually, the route will connect Pine Bluff and Little Rock to Interstate 69 in Arkansas.

References

Route map: Google / Bing
  1. Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2
  2. "The 90s". Historical review volume two: Arkansas State Highway Commission and Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, 1913-2003. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. April 2004. p. 157. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "[Arkansas] State Highways 2009 (Database)." April 2010. AHTD: Planning and Research Division. Database. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. General Highway Map (Map) (Pulaski County ed.). http://www.arkansashighways.com/maps/Counties/County%20PDFs/PulaskiCounty.pdf. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  5. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) Map, Little Rock, Arkansas (Map) (2010 ed.). http://www.arkansashighways.com/planning_research/technical_services/TrafficCountyMaps/2010ADT/TrafficCountMaps/Little_Rock.pdf. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  6. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. General Highway Map (Map) (Saline County ed.). http://www.arkansashighways.com/maps/Counties/County%20PDFs/SalineCounty.pdf. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  7. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. General Highway Map (Map) (Jefferson County ed.). http://www.arkansashighways.com/maps/Counties/County%20PDFs/JeffersonCounty.pdf. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  8. "Interstate 530 State Scenic Byway." Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Drive Profile. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  9. New Arkansas Highway To Be Dedicated | todaysthv.com
  10. . Pine Bluff Commercial http://pbcommercial.com/sections/news/region/new-state-highway-530-opens.html.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. . Pine Bluff Commercial http://pbcommercial.com/sections/news/region/new-state-highway-530-opens.html.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
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