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Interstate 555

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interstate 555 marker
Interstate 555
Map
I-555 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-55
Maintained by ArDOT
Length49.57 mi[1] (79.78 km)
ExistedMarch 11, 2016 (2016-03-11)[2][3]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-55 / US 61 / US 78 / AR 77 in Turrell
Major intersections US 49 / US 78 in Jonesboro
North end US 63 / AR 18 / AR 91 in Jonesboro
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountiesCrittenden, Poinsett, Craighead
Highway system
AR 549 AR 612

Interstate 555 (I-555) is an Interstate Highway that connects Turrell, Arkansas, at I-55 to Jonesboro at Highway 91 (AR 91). It provides a complete freeway corridor between Jonesboro, Arkansas's fifth-largest city, and Memphis, Tennessee. Formerly known as U.S. Highway 63 (US 63), the highway was converted in the early 2000s to Interstate Highway standards. I-555 was dedicated in March 2016.

Route description

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I-555 exit 44 signage

I-555 begins at an interchange of I-55, US 61, and AR 77 in Turrell. I-55 goes south to Memphis, Tennessee. The road parallel to the Interstate, AR 463, is a former alignment of US 63. I-555 passes through farmland and Gilmore. Then, it passes through Tyronza and Marked Tree. The section between Tyronza and Marked Tree is also used for farm equipment vehicles to drive on. Next, it passes through Trumann before entering Jonesboro. It briefly has an overlap with US 49. I-555 ends in Jonesboro at an interchange with AR 91; from there, the road continues as US 63.

History

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The I-555 route was approved on January 10, 2001, consisting of a widened section of US 63 between Turrell to Jonesboro to Interstate Highway standards. A few mainline bridges between Marked Tree and Turrell are from original two-lane US 63 and are narrower than current standards, but I-530 was approved in 1999 despite having a similar issue.

The last requirement to formally designate this route as I-555 was the construction of a parallel access road across a floodway between Payneway and Marked Tree, so that farm equipment would no longer have to use US 63 to cross the floodway. No crossing has ever been built, but an exemption for agricultural vehicles was added to I-555 between Marked Tree and Payneway. The exemption was introduced by U.S. Representative Rick Crawford and passed as part of the House Transportation Bill on December 4, 2015. It was announced in December 2015 that I-555 would be officially designated in early 2016.[4] In early 2016, signs along the section of the highway cautioned travelers that there may be farm equipment driving on the roadway. The road was officially dedicated on March 11, 2016, in Jonesboro.[5] In 2021, US 63 was rerouted off the entire route of I-555, but a short extension on November 23 of that same year redesignated US 63 along a section of I-555 again.[6]

Future

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ARDOT is currently running studies that will determine whether improvements to interchanges and cross-streets are needed for I-555 in Craighead County. Public meetings about the study were held in December 2021 and October 2023.[7] Comments about the study were also requested between October and December 2023.[8][9]

Exit list

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CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
CrittendenTurrell0.00.01

I-55 / US 61 south / AR 77 south / US 78 – Turrell, Blytheville, Memphis TN
Southern end of AR 77 concurrency; I-55 exit 23; signed as exits 1A (I-55/US 61 south) and 1B (I-55 north); US 61 north and AR 77 south continue past interchange
Gilmore1.93.12
AR 77 north – Gilmore
Northern end of AR 77 concurrency
Poinsett7.111.47 AR 135 – Lepanto
Tyronza8.714.08 AR 118 – Tyronza
Marked Tree13.221.213 AR 149 – Marked Tree, Earle
14.222.914
AR 75 south – Marked Tree, Lepanto, Parkin
18.229.318
AR 14 west – Payneway, Harrisburg
24.038.624 AR 463 – Trumann
Trumann28.746.229 AR 69 – Trumann
CraigheadBay34.655.735 AR 463 – Bay
Jonesboro36.258.336Nestlé Road
39.162.939
AR 18S (Dr. Martin Luther King Drive) / US 78 east
Southern end of US 78 concurrency
40.364.940
AR 463 south (Nettleton Avenue)
41.767.142
US 49 north / AR 1 (Stadium Boulevard/Red Wolf Boulevard) / Caraway Road – Paragould
Southern end of US 49 concurrency; former AR 173
43.469.844 AR 1B (Harrisburg Road)
44.872.145



US 49 south / US 63 south / AR 18 east / US 78 west (Southwest Drive)
Northern end of US 49/78 concurrency; southern end of US 63/AR 18 concurrency
45.873.746
AR 226 west (Wood Springs Road) / Strawfloor Road
47.175.847Washington Avenue
49.479.549

AR 18 west / AR 91 (Dan Avenue) / US 63 north
Northern end of AR 18 concurrency; AR 18 not signed; northern end of freeway; northern terminus of I-555
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Reaves, Johnathan (March 9, 2016). "I-555 to Be Dedicated Friday in Jonesboro". Jonesboro, Arkansas: KASU-FM. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  3. ^ "40 Years in the Making, I-555 in Arkansas Becoming Reality". Little Rock, Arkansas: KATV-TV. Associated Press. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  4. ^ "Highway Commission Approves I-555 Designation for Section of US 63". Times Record. Arkansas News Bureau. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "After delays, leg of U.S. 63 named I-555 | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. March 12, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Highway 63 in Jonesboro redesignated as I-555". Talk Business & Politics. November 23, 2021. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Interstate 555 Corridor Study". Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "ARDOT to hold public meeting for Interstate 555". KAIT 8. Jonesboroo, Arkansas: KAIT-TV. October 21, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Public Meeting 101113 I-555 Jonesboro Planning Study EN". Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
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