Loop (Texarkana)

Texarkana Loop
Route information
Length:	21.4 mi[1][2] (34.4 km)
Component highways:	I-49 I-369 I-130 US 59 US 71 Loop 151 AR 151
Major junctions
CCW end:	I-30 / I-369 / US 59 in Texarkana, TX
	US 82 in Texarkana, TX US 67 in Texarkana, TX I-369 / US 59 / SH 93 / Loop 151 in Texarkana, TX Future I-130 / I-49 / US 71 / AR 151 in Texarkana, AR US 71 in Texarkana, AR US 82 in Texarkana, AR Future I-130 / I-30 in Texarkana, AR
CW end:	US 59 / US 71 in Texarkana, AR
Location
States:	Texas, Arkansas
Counties:	TX: Bowie; AR: Miller
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs Park Rec FM Arkansas Highway System Interstate US State Business Spurs Scenic Heritage Trails

The Loop is a beltway around Texarkana, a twin city in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Texas, running about 16 miles (26 km). Consisting a section of Interstate 49 in Arkansas, and Loop 151 and a section of I-369 and U.S. Highway 59 in Texas, it forms a three-quarter loop around the east, south and west sides of the city. (Interstate 30 completes the circle on the north side.) The Loop is built to Interstate Freeway Standards.

The south side is bisected by State Line Avenue, which runs north–south along the state line. The whole half in Arkansas is Highway 151; US 59 intersects the Loop near the southwest corner, and so only the south side in Texas is Loop 151. Old US 59 into Texarkana (Lake Drive) is now State Highway 93.

Route description

Arkansas

North of the junction with Highway 549 and U.S. Highway 71, The former Highway 245 is part of the north–south Corridor, a planned extension of Interstate 49 north to Kansas City. (This extension will also include Highway 549.)

The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department submitted this piece, as well as its continuation west to the state line, as Interstate 130 (I-130) in fall 2000. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials denied the part from US 71 west to Texas, as "the state of Texas has not submitted a companion application for a suitable terminus in Texas", but the piece from US 71 north to I-30 was approved on December 8, 2000 as Future I-130. Once it is upgraded to Interstate standards and added to the Interstate Highway System by the Federal Highway Administration, it will be signed as I-130.^[3][4]

Arkansas is using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds to pave the final segment of future I-130, from the Arkansas Boulevard interchange to a new freeway-to-freeway interchange with I-30.^[5] Once this section is opened, the only remaining requirement to become I-130 will be upgrading the at-grade intersection with 19th Street to a full interchange; the right-of-way for this was reserved years ago. However, with I-49 also pending completion between Texarkana and Shreveport, Louisiana (including a segment in Arkansas also being built with ARRA funds^[5]), I-49 will be part of the loop instead of I-130 by Summer of June 2014 this year.

In May 2013, Highway 245 was replaced by Highway 151 between Highway 549 and Loop 151. Between AR 549 and Arkansas Blvd, Highway 245 was replaced by an extended Highway 549. North of Arkansas Blvd, 245 was removed from service and re-designated Four States Fair Blvd.

In January 2014, Highway 549 was added to Interstate 49 in Arkansas.

In November 2014 Highway 549 was resigned to I-49.

Texas

Loop 151 connects Highway 151 to US 59. Along with the south leg of Highway 151, it is the newest part of the Loop.

Note: A former, unrelated state highway also bearing the Loop 151 designation in Denison was redesignated as State Highway 75-A in 1946, and is now part of State Highway 91.

I-369 and US 59 forms the final leg of the loop, from Lake Drive to Interstate 30. This section, known officially as Jarvis Parkway, also crosses West 7th Street (U.S. Highway 67) and New Boston Road (U.S. Highway 82). Interstate 369 was designated on May 30, and was installed on September 23, 2013.^[6]

History

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi[1][2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Texas	Bowie	Texarkana	0.0	0.0		I-30 / US 59 east – Dallas, Little Rock	North end of overlap with I-369, north end of overlap with US 59
			0.2	0.3		FM 559 (Richmond Road)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			0.4	0.6		US 82 (New Boston Road)
			1.2	1.9		Westlawn Drive – Wake Village
			2.1	3.4		US 67 (7th Street)
			3.2	5.1		Frontage Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			3.8	6.1		I-369 south / US 59 south / SH 93 north (Lake Drive) to I-20 / I-69 Loop 151	South end of overlap with I-369 South end of overlap with US 59 West end of Loop 151 and overlap. Future I-369 South To I-20/I-69
			4.5	7.2		FM 3527 (Leopard Drive)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance, southbound access via previous exit
			5.7	9.2		FM 558 (Buchanan Road)
Texas–Arkansas state line	Bowie–Miller county line	Texarkana–Texarkana city line	7.3 0.0	11.7 0.0	—	South State Line Avenue	State border, Loop 151 becomes Highway 151
Arkansas	Miller	Texarkana	1.4	2.3	1 29A	I-49 south – Shreveport, LA AR 151	South end of overlap with I-49 East end of Highway 151 and overlap
			1.9	3.1	2 29B	US 71 – Texarkana
			3.2	5.1	31	AR 196 (Genoa Road)
			4.6– 5.2	7.4– 8.4	32	US 82 (East 9th Street) / East 19th Street	Southern Exit to U.S. 67
			6.8	10.9	35	Arkansas Boulevard / Four States Fair Parkway	Northern Exit to U.S. 67
			8.9	14.3	37	I-30 – Hope, Little Rock, Texarkana, Dallas	Split into exits 37A (east) and 37B (west)
			12.2	19.6	41	CR 23 (Sanderson Lane)
Arkansas–Texas state line	Miller–Bowie county line	Texarkana–Texarkana city line	14.1	22.7	–	US 59 / US 71 (North State Line Avenue) – Texarkana, Ashdown, Fort Smith	Northern terminus, state border
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Google (October 5, 2014). "Overview Map of Texarkana Loop in Texas" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
2. Google (October 5, 2014). "Overview Map of Texarkana Loop in Arkansas" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
3. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (December 8, 2000). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Indianapolis, IN: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
4. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (January 2001). "Interstate 130 to be designated in Arkansas" (Press release). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.
5. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. "AHTD List of ARRA projects" (PDF). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. (Though both are labeled "Hwy. 71" here, as described #030325 is AR 245/future I-130 & I-49, while #030354 is AR 549/future I-49.)
6. Alliance for I-69 Texas (September 25, 2013). "Texarkana Freeway Added to Interstate 69 System" (Press release). Alliance for I-69 Texas. Retrieved October 25, 2013.