U.S. Route 71 in Arkansas

U.S. Highway 71
Route of US 71 in Arkansas in red
Route information
Maintained by AHTD, TxDOT
Length:	300 mi (500 km) About 4 miles of highway is located in Texas near Texarkana
Major junctions
South end:	US 71 at Louisiana state line
	I-49 near Doddridge I-30 in Texarkana, TX/AR I-540 in Fort Smith I-40 near Alma I-49 in Fayetteville
North end:	US 71 at Missouri state line
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced Arkansas Highway System Interstate US State Business Spurs Scenic Heritage Trails Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs Park Rec FM ← US 70 AR AR 72 → ← US 70 TX SH 71 →

U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a U.S. highway that runs from Krotz Springs, LA to the Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge at the Canadian border. In Arkansas, the highway runs from the Louisiana state line near Doddridge to the Missouri state line near Bella Vista. In Texarkana, the highway runs along State Line Avenue with US 59 and partially runs in Texas (northbound traffic is in Arkansas and southbound in Texas). Other areas served by the highway include Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas.

Route description

Location of US 71 within Texas

US 59/US 71 in Ashdown

The route enters Arkansas near the Red River, and runs north through the communities of Doddridge and Fouke.^[1] Most motorists can now bypass US 71 from Doddridge to Texarkana via Arkansas Highway 549, a four-lane controlled-access highway which is intended to be part of the extension of Interstate 49. After approximately 30 miles (48 km) of paralleling Highway 549, the route turns west, passes the historic Averitt House and enters Texarkana. Highway 71 has a brief concurrency with Highway 237 before crossing over The Loop Interstate 49 (former Interstate 130)^[2] in the southeast part of town.

Inside the loop, Highway 71 becomes East Street, passing the Texarkana Country Club and Hobo Jungle Park before becoming Hickory Street in downtown Texarkana. The street is four-lane undivided, passing the Bottoms House and J.K. Wadley House before meeting US 67/US 82. US 71 forms a short, two-block concurrency with US 67/US 82 before turning north along Hazel Street. This minor city street runs northwest to intersect State Line Avenue (which officially carries the wye connection US 71Y south of this point); on State Line Avenue, the northbound lanes are in Arkansas, while the southbound lanes are in Texas.^[1] While on State Line Avenue, US 71 intersects Loop 14 before US 59 joins US 71 at Interstate 30.

From Arkansas Highway 296 north of Texarkana to the Red River, US 71 runs concurrent with US 59 as an expressway. Except for the northbound lanes (which return to the Arkansas side just before the Red River), this section of 3.39 miles (5.46 km) is entirely in Texas.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

The highways re-enter Arkansas (specifically Little River County) completely at the Red River. US 59/US 71 serve as an eastern terminus for Highway 380 upon entering Ogden. Although US 59/US 71 bypass the community as a four-lane highway, the route formerly served Ogden as Grand Street, which as of 2011 retains original 1926 US 71 paving for some of its length.^[3] Further north the routes pass under Highway 32, which skirts the southern part of Ashdown. Serving Little River's county seat as Constitution Avenue, the routes become a five-lane road with center turn lane which passes within two blocks of the Little River County Courthouse. The routes intersect Highway 32B and Highway 108 before exiting town due north to Wilton.^[4] Following the Kansas City Southern Railroad tracks, US 59/US 71 enters Wilton, where it passes the S.S.P. Mills and Son Building, Highway 234, and the Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway Depot.^[5] Just north of town a former alignment comes into view briefly before the Mills Cemetery and the Sevier County line.

US 59/US 71 south of Lockesburg

Once across the Little River, US 59/US 71 passes another former alignment, crosses through Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge, and runs east of Ben Lomond before entering Lockesburg.^[6] A junction in Lockesburg joins US 59/US 71 with US 371, with Highway 24 running west from the junction. Five miles (8.0 km) north of Lockesburg US 70 joins US 59/US 71/US 371, and the concurrent routes turn west to De Queen. Upon entering De Queen, US 59/US 71 turns north, US 70 continues west, US 70 Business/Highway 41 (US 70B/AR 41) runs south, and US 371 terminates at the junction.^[7] US 59/US 71 continue through Gillham and Grannis to serve as the western terminus of US 278 in Wickes. Junctions with Highway 246 and Highway 4 precede the route entering Mena, the county seat of Polk County.^[8]

In Mena, US 59/US 71 has a brief overlap with Highway 8, during which the routes pass two NRHP listings, the Mena Kansas City-Southern Depot and the Mena Commercial Historic District.^[9] US 59/US 71/AR 8 also has an overlap with Highway 88, although the western end of the overlap serves as the eastern terminus of the Talimena Scenic Drive National Scenic Byway designation. After Highway 8 and Highway 88 have left the route US 59/US 71 run north to a junction with US 270 in Acorn. At a fork in the road, US 59 splits onto US 270 west, and US 270 east begins a concurrency with US 71 northbound into Ouachita National Forest.^[8] US 71/US 270 continue into Scott County to Y City, where the concurrency ends and US 270 turns east. US 71 runs north through the forest to Waldron, a town the mainline route bypasses to the west while US 71B runs through downtown Waldron. While skirting Waldron, US 71 has a junction with Highway 272 near Waldron Municipal Airport as well as junctions with Highway 248, Highway 80, and Highway 28.^[10] This section of US 71 from north of Mena through Fayetteville (following the original sections bypassing the new Interstate 540 has been designated a scenic byway and the Boston Mountains Scenic Loop.

First reassurance marker south of the AR 23 junction in Scott County

North of Waldron, US 71 passes through Mansfield and Greenwood before intersecting with Interstate 540 on the south end of Fort Smith. US 71 overlaps I-540 for approximately 12 miles (19 km) until it reaches Iinterstate 40, then US-71 follows I-40 six miles (9.7 km) to Alma.

US 71 concurrent with I-49 in northwest Arkansas

US 71 passes through Mountainburg, Winslow, West Fork and Greenland on its way to Fayetteville. At Fayetteville, US 71 overlaps I-49 to Bentonville, as well as U.S. Route 62.

North of Bentonville US 71 continues another 12 miles (19 km) passing through Bella Vista to the Missouri state line.

History

US 71 between Bentonville and the Arkansas–Missouri state line north of Bella Vista was once known as Highway 100. Running approximately 11 miles (18 km), its southern terminus was in Bentonville at the intersection of Central Ave and SW A Street. Its northern terminus was at the Arkansas–Missouri state line where it continued as Route 88. By the mid-1960s, Highway 100 had been replaced by a new alignment of US 71.

Future

Most of US 71 will be bypassed by the northern extension of Interstate 49. Most of the Missouri route has been completed, but stops near Pineville. The Bella Vista Bypass is under construction and will run from Bentonville to Pineville and will also bypass the town of Jane, Missouri.^[11] Also part of the I-49 extension, I-540 north of Alma will be replaced and resigned as Interstate 49.^[12]

Major intersections

State	County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Arkansas	Miller		0.00	0.00		US 71 south – Shreveport	Louisiana state line
						I-49 to I-30 – Shreveport, LA, Texarkana, Dallas	I-49 exit 4
		Doddridge				AR 160 – Brightstar, Bradley
						CR 197 (Spruell's Cafe Road) to I-49
						AR 134 east – Garland City
						I-49 to I-30 – Texarkana, Dallas, Shreveport, LA	I-49 exit 16
		Texarkana				AR 237 north	Southern end of AR 237 overlap
						AR 237 south – Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area	Northern end of AR 237 overlap
						I-49 / AR 151 south to I-30 – Shreveport, Little Rock	I-49 exit 29A
						AR 296 east (Division Street)
						US 67 north / US 82 east (East 7th Street) – El Dorado, Little Rock	Southern end of US 67/US 82 overlap
						US 67 south / US 82 west (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) / Hazel Street – Texarkana Business District	Northern end of US 67/US 82 overlap
Arkansas–Texas state line	Miller–Bowie county line	Texarkana				Loop 14 south (Texas Boulevard) / Arkansas Boulevard – Texarkana Airport
						I-30 / US 59 south	Southern end of US 59 overlap; I-30 exit 223
						AR 296 east (Sugar Hill Road) to US 67
Texas	Bowie					I-49 south – Little Rock, Shreveport, Houston	I-49 exit 42; temporary overlap with I-49
						AR 108 east
Red River					Bridge
Arkansas	Little River	Ogden				AR 380 east / Grand Street – Ogden Business District
		Ashdown				AR 32 – Foreman, Millwood Dam	Interchange
						AR 32B east (Rankin Street) – Millwood Dam	Southern end of AR 32B overlap
						AR 32B west (Main Street)	Northern end of AR 32B overlap
						AR 108 west to AR 41
		Wilton				AR 234 west – Alleene
	Sevier					AR 234 east – Ben Lomond, Brownstown
						AR 27 north – Ben Lomond, Nashville
		Bellville				AR 317 south – Cowlingsville
		Lockesburg				US 371 south / AR 24 west – Horatio, Nashville	Southern end of US 371 overlap
						US 70 east – Dierks, Lake Greeson, Hot Springs, Crater of Diamonds State Park, Daisy State Park	Southern end of US 70 overlap
		De Queen				US 70 west / US 70B west / AR 41 south – Hugo, Foreman, Cossatot Community College University of Arkansas, Airport	Northern end of US 70/US 371 overlap
	Polk	Wickes				US 278 east – Nashville, Cossatot River State Park Natural Area
						AR 84 west – Bogg Springs
						AR 246 east – Vandervoort
		Cove				AR 4 west – Watson, OK
		Hatfield				AR 246 west
		Old Potter				AR 375 east – Potter
		Mena				AR 8 west (Reine Street) – Rocky	Southern end of AR 8 overlap
						AR 88 west (Mena Street) – Queen Wilhelmina State Park, Talimena Scenic Drive	Southern end of AR 88 overlap
						AR 8 east (Morrow Avenue) – Norman, Airport	Northern end of AR 8 overlap
						AR 88 east – Pencil Bluff	Northern end of AR 88 overlap
		Acorn				US 59 north / US 270 west – Heavener, OK, Rich Mountain	Northern end of US 59 overlap; southern end of US 270 overlap
	Scott	Y City				US 270 east – Hot Springs	Northern end of US 270 overlap
		Needmore				AR 28 east – Parks
						US 71B north to AR 250 – Waldron
						AR 272 east	Southern end of AR 272 overlap
						AR 272 west – Airport	Northern end of AR 272 overlap
		Waldron				AR 248 west – Lake Hinkle
						AR 80 – Hon, Danville
						US 71B south – Waldron Business District
						AR 28 west – Heavener
		Elm Park				AR 378 west
						AR 23 north – Booneville
	Logan	No major junctions
	Scott	Mansfield				AR 96 west (Huntington Avenue) – Hartford, Mansfield Business District
	Sebastian	Huntington				AR 252 west (West Crescent Street) – Slaytonville	Southern end of AR 252 overlap
						AR 252 east – Dayton	Northern end of AR 252 overlap
						AR 10 – Hackett, Greenwood, Mount Magazine State Park
						AR 10S east (Center Street West) – Greenwood, Booneville
						I-49 north	Northbound segment complete and opened between greenwood and barling; southbound segment into greenwood unbuilt; AR 549/I-49 future exit 187
		Fort Smith				AR 45 south – Hackett	Southern end of AR 45 overlap
						AR 45 north	Northern end of AR 45 overlap
						I-540 south / US 71B north – Spiro, OK	Southern end of I-540 overlap; US 71 south follows exit 12; temporary overlap with I-49
	See I-540
	Crawford	Van Buren				I-40 west – Oklahoma City	Northern end of I-540 overlap; southern end of I-40 overlap; US 71 north follows exit 1B; US 71 south follows exit 7; temporary overlap with I-49
					12	I-49 north – Fayetteville
		Alma				I-40 east / US 71B south – Little Rock, Alma	Northern end of I-40 overlap; US 71 north follows exit 13
		Deans Market				AR 282 west – Rudy	Southern end of AR 282 overlap
						AR 282 east	Northern end of AR 282 overlap
		Cain				AR 348 east
		Mountainburg				AR 282 west to I-49 – Fort Smith, Little Rock, Fayetteville
						AR 282 west to I-49 – Chester
						AR 400 south (Shepherd Spring Road) – Lake Fort Smith
	Washington	Winslow				AR 74 west – Winslow, Devils Den State Park
		Brentwood				AR 74 east
		West Fork				AR 170 west to I-49 – West Fork Business District, Devils Den State Park
		Fayetteville				AR 156 east (Willoughby Road)
						US 71B north (School Avenue) – Fayetteville Business District	At-grade intersection; Southern end of freeway
					60	AR 112 (Razorback Road) / AR 265 (Cato Springs Road)	No direct southbound exit (accessed via I-49 south)
						I-49 south – Fort Smith	Southern end of I-49 overlap; no direct northbound exit (signed at exit 60); US 71 south follows exit 61
	See I-49
	Benton	Bentonville			93	US 71B south (North Walton Boulevard)	Northern end of I-49 overlap
		Bella Vista			98	AR 340 (Lancanshire Boulevard)	Interchange
300			483		US 71 north – Joplin	Missouri state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

See also

• Arkansas portal
• Texas portal
• U.S. Roads portal

Notes

References