Arkansas to Break Ground on I-49 Arkansas River Bridge

The Arkansas Department of Transportation will break ground on a new Interstate 49 bridge across the Arkansas River this month.

It is the first of four projects that make up a 14-mile I-49 extension between Barling and the Interstate 40 interchange by Alma.

“The convergence of two major interstate highways, I-49 and I-40, in the River Valley will form a crossroads from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast, and from the East Coast to the West Coast with the River Valley as the centerpiece,” Arkansas Highway Commission Vice Chairman Keith Gibson said in a statement.

The I-49 bridge will serve as a new north-south connector for both freight and the public in western Arkansas. Construction is projected to finish by early 2029.

“When combined with the area’s major railway systems and waterway transportation opportunities, I-49 will generate significant economic benefits and development not only to the region but to the entire state of Arkansas,” Gibson said.

Tulsa-based Manhattan Road & Bridge Company is constructing a 3.1-mile stretch between Arkansas Highway 22 in Barling and Gun Club Road in Crawford County, which includes the new bridge. The interchange with Highway 22 in Barling is already complete, as well as a short section of I-49 between Barling and U.S. Highway 71 south of Fort Smith.

The project’s groundbreaking is Friday, Aug. 22. The event will take place on the new bridge approach at the end of H Street in Barling.

The Arkansas River bridge includes a river relief structure and ramps at the Gun Club Road interchange. The HNTB Corporation served as the design consultant.

“This is just the beginning of our overall goal to complete Interstate 49 in Arkansas,” ARDOT Director Jared Wiley said in a statement. 

Sources: Arkansas Department of Transportation, Talk Business & Politics