Oklahoma

The Conversion of U.S. 412 to I-42

The Indian Nations Council of Governments in Tulsa, Okla., passed a resolution on May 11, 2018 seeking support from the Oklahoma and Arkansas transportation departments and elected officials and then sent it to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Boozman (R-Rogers) and Tom Cotton (R-Little Rock) introduced a bill in Congress to designate the 189 miles of U.S. 412 a future interstate highway. "Connecting Northwest Arkansas and North Central Oklahoma will encourage economic development along this corridor and expand opportunities for employment in the region," Boozman said. The Arkansas and Oklahoma transportation departments expressed support for the proposal in a letter to Inhofe. "Northeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas share historic, geographic, and economic interests and a future interstate designation will improve economic development opportunities for both regions while providing the state DOTs with sufficient time to fully upgrade the corridor to interstate standards," according to the letter signed by Tim Gatz, Oklahoma secretary of transportation, and Lori Tudor, director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The highway would improve supply chain connectivity for major retail and industrial employers in the region, including Walmart in Northwest Arkansas and numerous energy and aerospace companies in Northeast Oklahoma, according to Indian Nations Council officials. Northwest Arkansas regional planners supported changing the designation of U.S. 412 from Springdale to I-35 west of Tulsa to a future interstate highway.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Arkansas Department of Transportation requested the interstate designation of Future Interstate 42 for U.S. 412.

AASHTO had already assigned I-42 to the U.S. 70 interstate conversion in North Carolina, make I-42 another disconnected duplicate interstate number. The more logical numbers available are I-46 and I-48. The only reason given by OkDOT and ArDOT is that I-42 connects to I-44 and that it and runs south of I-44. The AASHTO pointed out that I-42 only made sense if I-42 in Oklahoma were to connect to I-42 in North Carolina. At first the state withdrew their applications but AASHTO gave them conditional approval April 2024 that I-42 will be approved as soon as the highway is built to interstate standard, likely within the next 10 years. For I-42 in Oklahoma to connect to I-42 in North Carolina, half of I-42 would need to run concurrent with I-40.

I-31/I-50

Congress created the "Ports-to-Plain" Corridor to enhance international trade between the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The intention was to extend I-27 from the Mexica n border to the Canadian border. It was pushed by the States of Texas and New Mexico but opposed by Colorado. Congress limited Future I-27 from Laredo to Ramon New Mexico. I-27 follows U.S. 287 from Amarillo to Dumas, then U.S. 87 to Ramon. To fulfill the original goal, Colorado must be bypassed, and a new future interstate corridor would follow U.S. 83 from Oklahoma to North Dakota, named the Future I-31 Great Plains Historical Corridor. I-31 starts from Dumas Texas and I-50 from I-40 along U.S. 54 through the panhandle of Oklahoma to Liberty Kanas.

Arkansas

I-42

The I-42 Interstate corrdor is the potential conversion of US 412 in Northern Arkansas. I-42 runs through Northwest Arkansas in Benton County, the route serves Siloam Springs as a major route through the southern part of the city. I-42/US 412 has a concurrency with Highway 59 that ends in east Siloam Springs. US 412 becomes four-lane and runs east to enter Washington County. I-42/US 412 crosses I-49/US 62/US 71 in Springdale, where the route is four-lane with a center left-turn lane. Hindsville was bypassed in 2009 with a four-lane alignment of US 412. I-42/US 412 continues east, winding through forested land. In Alpena, I-42/US 412 begins a concurrency with US 62 for approximately 150 miles through north central Arkansas. After the concurrency ends, US 412 runs due east to through downtown Walnut Ridge to I-155/I-55 in Missouri, continuing along I-155 to Future I-69.

I-49, I-69

I-49 runs along western Arkansas from Texarkana to Ft Smith. I-69 runs across southeast Arkansas. The new I-555 Interstate corridor is shown to Jonesboro.

I-57

The new I-57 conversion of US 67 is show in Northeast Arkansas.

I-53

The conceptual I-53 Interstate corridor connects the exsting I-530 from Little Rock to Pine Bluff, the "I-69 Spur" AR 530 to Monticello, and finally the "I-69 Spur Extension" from Monticello to Monroe, Louisiana.

Tennessee

I-69

I-69 generally follows U.S. 51 through Tennessee to Memphis.

I-42

I-42 continues to follow US 412 through Missouri on its Bootheel, and then runs concurrent with I-155 into Tennessee, then follows U.S. 412 to I-40 west of Jackson Tennessee. In 1962, the governors of Missouri and Tennessee proposed to build a new Mississippi River Bridge between I-55 and U.S. 51 at Dyersburg Tennessee. They submitted their proposal to the Bureau of Public Roads to also build an interstate connector between I-55 to I-40 near Jackson Tennessee. The Bureau of Public Roads approved the bridge but limited the interstate from I-55 to US 51 in Dyersburg which became I-155. Later AASHTO created U.S. 412 from New Mexico to Tennessee, and essentially following the same route for the proposed interstate. Since U.S. 412 will be converted to I-42, then extending it to U.S. 412 through Arkansas and Tennessee is a "logical" addition to the interstate system as required by the AASHTO.