No precise timeline exists for the final unconstructed piece of the Interstate 49 puzzle that one day will be dropped into place parallel to Arkansas’ western boundary, creating an interstate corridor ultimately stretching from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
That final piece, roughly 160 miles from Fort Smith to Texarkana, will carry a price tag of $6 billion in today’s dollars, the Arkansas Department of Transportation states.
When completed, I-49 will link an interstate corridor connecting Canada and the Gulf.
The impacted stretch of the Natural State’s western flank, of course, consists mostly of rugged Ouachita Mountain wilderness that does not lend itself easily to things like interstate highways.
The Arkansas part of the overall I-49 vision — a vision encompassing four-lane, interstate-quality highway from Kansas City ultimately to New Orleans — is in its middle stages and continues to represent the state’s primary infrastructure-related project, funded through a mix of federal highway funds, federal grants and state funds.
The 162-mile stretch of I-49’s route through western Arkansas that remains to be filled in
The state completed the section of I-49 north of Bentonville in 2021, realizing a continuous stretch from the Missouri state line to Alma, and the 14-mile stretch from I-30 at Texarkana to the Louisiana state line was completed in 2014.
Ground was broken earlier this year on the initial phase of the project’s next stage — connecting I-40 at Alma 14 miles south and over the Arkansas River to Barling south of Fort Smith, where a 6.5-mile interstate spur already carrying the 49 designation connects U.S. 71 and Arkansas 22.
Jared Wiley, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said such major transportation projects can reshape a region and unlock large-scale economic development potential, but he added that they also take a long time to complete and are costly to construct.
Jared Wiley
“Interstate 49 is no different,” he said. “Although considerable progress has been made on the corridor over the past few decades, the funding needed to complete I-49 in Arkansas looms large. The segment between Greenwood and Texarkana will cost over $6 billion to construct in today’s dollars.”
The river bridge alone is not expected to be ready until early 2029. Once Alma to Barling is up and running, the real fun begins — a 162-mile succession of thickly forested ridges running east-west, a North American Darién Gap if you will, that currently exists only on maps and renderings as a dotted line.
Laying down four lanes of north-south, interstate-quality freeway over, through and around the rugged landscape will be challenging, time-consuming and eat up most of that $6 billion price tag.
Federal and state officials are committed to seeing I-49 all the way through, but the latest extension by itself looms large for the Fort Smith metro. About 10,000 vehicles a day are expected to use the new Alma-to-Barling route right off the bat with volume increasing over time, according to ARDOT estimates.
Alma to Barling alone will cost $1.3 billion, but Jessie Jones, ARDOT’s chief engineer for preconstruction, said the project will fuel economic development for local economies and beyond.
Jessie Jones
“Based on guidance produced by the Council of Economic Advisers, it is estimated that every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure would support 13,000 jobs for one year,” she said. “Construction of the new bridge structure provides for an efficient north-south connector for freight and the traveling public across the Arkansas River. In addition, the benefits of completing the future I-49 corridor include reducing congestion, improving transportation safety and supporting both national security and defense. The future I-49 corridor will ultimately link the Gulf Coast with the central U.S. and Canada, supporting international and domestic commerce and tourism.”
Alma to Barling remains a good way off, but work is already being done on the next phase. Jones said project development is underway on the 44-mile planned segment from Barling south to Y City in Scott County, about halfway between Waldron and Mena.
“Survey work is anticipated to be completed at the end of the year,” she said. “Preliminary design will then begin, which will allow the department to establish the right-of-way limits.”
ARDOT’s current statewide transportation improvement program, which runs through 2028, includes $9 million in state funding for project development.
Jones warned Arkansans expecting to soon make a smooth, two-hour drive from Fort Smith to Texarkana to pump the brakes, however.
“Given the scale and complexity of constructing the remaining 150 miles of Interstate 49, along with the significant funding required, there is currently no projected timeline for full corridor completion,” she said. “However, work will continue to advance in phases, and individual projects will move forward as funding opportunities arise.”
In other words, that particular scenic drive, which should mimic 49 between Alma and Fayetteville in many respects, is a ways down the road. It is a wait that should be worth it.
After all, many of the state’s baby boomers never expected that they would live to see a four-lane interstate cut through the Boston Mountains of Crawford and Washington counties.
“ARDOT is committed to keeping the momentum moving on the development of the I-49 corridor south of Greenwood,” Wiley said. “Without a considerable increase in federal transportation funding, completion of this segment will be many years down the road.
“We appreciate the additional funding that Sen. [John] Boozman, Congressman [Steve] Womack and Congressman [Bruce] Westerman have secured for Interstate 49 in Arkansas. Their commitment to supporting infrastructure in Arkansas is making a big impact.”
Connecting Arkansas
In 2012, Arkansas voters approved a 10-year, half-cent sales tax — since made permanent — to create ARDOT’s Connecting Arkansas Program. The most prominent of the 31 programs the tax funded was the 30 Crossing project in downtown Little Rock and downtown North Little Rock.
The stretch of I-30 over the Arkansas River through the cities’ downtowns is the busiest stretch of highway in the state — ARDOT estimated 120,000 vehicles a day cross the 30 bridge as of 2020. The project reconstructed 4.7 miles of I-30 from the interchange with I-630 in Little Rock to the 40 interchange on the north side and widened the bridge to 10 lanes.
Garver and W&W | AFCO St worked on the 30 Crossing bridge.
(Photo courtesy of ARDOT)
While other enhancements are still planned, this initial and primary component to the project was wrapped in late 2024 to the tune of $634 million.
North Little Rock-based Garver won the state’s bid to manage the program. The firm’s program management services include managing design consultants, reviewing plan submittals, assisting with environmental permitting, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations and reimbursements, inspecting work during construction, reviewing pay requests, and serving as an extension of ARDOT’s construction staff.
Garver and W&W | AFCO St worked on the 30 Crossing bridge.
(Photo courtesy of ARDOT)
Garver managed all 31 CAP projects for ARDOT.
“Our job was to manage the eight design consultants that were doing the engineering design of the projects,” said Jerry Holder, director of enterprise services. “We acted in the role of ARDOT for the CAP projects. From day one, ARDOT told us we had to get all of the projects done on time and on budget because they wanted to go back out to the voters in 10 years and get the half-cent sales tax renewed for another 10-years. We did that. Not only did the voters give ARDOT the half-cent sales tax for the next 10-years, they made it permanent. The citizens of Arkansas like how ARDOT is getting things done for the state.”
Jerry Holder
The biggest project ARDOT had ever taken on, 30 Crossing came with more than its share of challenges. It was the agency’s first design-build project through two of the state’s major cities; it crossed the state’s biggest river; it was an existing facility for which traffic flow during construction had to be maintained; and it involved the confluence of two of the highest percentage truck-traffic routes in the country, I-40 and I-30.
“Keeping lanes open for people to get to and from work was critical, and the demolition of a bridge over a navigable river is always a challenge to keep the shipping channel open,” Holder said.
Infrastructure is a major driver to economic development. Companies will not consider a location that does not provide it in spades. Maintaining central Arkansas’ infrastructure will pay dividends not only in the short-term future but for generations, Holder said.
“Transportation projects are economic drivers. If the infrastructure isn’t there, companies won’t establish their business in the area,” he said. “I often say that ARDOT is one of the state’s best economic development tools. The half-cent sales tax was more of an investment than it was a tax. The jobs created during construction and from the improved mobility will more than pay for itself in the long run.”
Other GAP projects managed by Garver include the $20 million widening of Arkansas 5 in Saline County, the $116 million replacement of two bridges and widening of 3.7 miles of U.S. 67/167 in Lonoke County — scheduled to be completed in mid-2027 — and the $181 million Springdale Western Bypass in Washington and Benton Counties.
The latter project entails 6.9 miles of new roadway and construction of 16 bridge structures. It is expected to be completed this fall.
Community Values
Some infrastructure projects may not reach the scale of a new interstate stretch or a 10-lane bridge, but they impact their communities just as much. Crafton Tull, an engineering, surveying, planning and design firm based in northwest Arkansas, has played a major role in completing roadway projects at the Port of Little Rock and incorporating existing roads into the Central Arkansas Regional Greenway network in Cabot and Maumelle.
Brad Peterson, senior vice president of Crafton Tull’s municipal engineering division, said the firm’s work at the port was a “true necessity given the competitive nature of attracting new employers.”
Brad Peterson
“The economic development success at the port has taken a team effort and wouldn’t have been possible with the brilliant leadership of the port and Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “We’re certainly proud to have played a role in the process. These projects became reality through creative grant funding and a dedicated effort to invest in the port’s infrastructure.”
Crafton Tull currently is working to widen Kerr Station Road in Cabot to improve traffic flow around Cabot Middle School South and Cabot Junior High South.
“Primary goals of the project are to improve street crossings and incorporate a section of the Greenway and connector trails that will safely link residential neighborhoods to the schools and commercial areas,” Peterson said.
Another example of the firm’s quality-of-life work is the new Millwood Station Park in Maumelle, opened in March. The park includes a food truck court, pavilion for vendor and farmer markets, and a stage for live music, and it connects to the regional greenway.
Peterson said it has already become a “vibrant hub of activity” for Maumelle residents.
“Our most rewarding work for communities are quality-of-life projects such as trails, parks, sports complexes and community facilities,” he said. “Quality roadways and drainage facilities are a necessity but are often unnoticed and underappreciated. We enjoy infrastructure projects that create a sense of pride and are embraced as the centerpiece of a community.”
You Say Bridges…
W&W | AFCO Steel of Little Rock has become almost synonymous with bridges in Arkansas. The firm has been or is involved in many of the CAP projects, including 30 Crossing, which required more than 97,000 cubic yards of concrete.
Amy Rogers, senior vice president for bridge sales and estimating, said the firm “made 22,000 tons worth of bridge” alone for the project.
Amy Rogers
“We supplied the White River Bridge in east Arkansas, all of the new bridges in the Hot Springs area, the big bridges you drive over going up I-49 from Alma to Fayetteville, the 430/630 interchange in west Little Rock, the Ouachita River Bridge between Hampton and El Dorado at Calion, and almost every other steel bridge built in Arkansas over the last 25-plus years,” she said.
The firm is also working on the Springdale bypass, as well as the Northwest Arkansas National Airport Connector.
Founded in Little Rock in 1909, AFCO Steel was bought by W&W Steel of Oklahoma City in 2002 and maintains a strong presence in central Arkansas. In 2022, the company invested $18.7 million in a new fabrication facility at the Port of Little Rock.
W&W | AFCO St worked on the new access road to XNA airport in Bentonville. (Photo courtesy of ARDOT)
Today, it employs 515 workers in Arkansas.
“What sets W&W | AFCO Steel apart is an unmatched combination of global scale and relationship-driven business philosophy,” Rogers said. “As the largest structural steel fabricator in North America, the company delivers projects across the country and around the world, bringing extensive experience, resources and technical expertise to every job. We have 20 fabrication facilities in seven states across the country, five here in Arkansas.”
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