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Arkansas Highway 51

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Highway 51 (AR 51, Ark. 51, and Hwy. 51) is a designation for two north–south state highways in Southwest Arkansas. One route of 53.37 miles (85.89 km) begins Highway 53 near Whelen Springs and runs north to US Highway 67 (US 67) in Donaldson. A second route of 7.92 miles (12.75 km) runs parallel to US 270 northwest of Malvern. Both routes are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Highway 51 marker
Highway 51
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
ExistedApril 1, 1926[1]–present
Section 1
Length57.37 mi[2] (92.33 km)
South end AR 53 near Whelen Springs
North end US 67 in Donaldson
Section 2
Length7.92 mi[2] (12.75 km)
South end US 270 in Rockport
North end US 270 in Magnet Cove
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountiesClark, Hot Spring
Highway system
← AR 50→ AR 52

A four-mile-long (6.4 km) historic section of Highway 51 remains in Clark County, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Route description

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Both segments are low-traffic, two-lane, undivided roads winding through the Piney Woods of Southwest Arkansas. No segment of Highway 51 has been listed as part of the National Highway System,[2] a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.[3]

The ArDOT maintains Highway 51 like all other parts of the state highway system. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic using its roads in surveys using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). ArDOT estimates the traffic level for a segment of roadway for any average day of the year in these surveys.

Whelen Springs to Donaldson

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Highway 51 begins at Highway 53 in southern Clark County, just north of Whelen Springs and the Little Missouri River. The highway runs within the Arkansas Timberlands of Southwest Arkansas, a two-lane, undivided road except for a few miles within Arkadelphia.

 
Highway 51 near Okolona

The route runs west through sparsely populated pine forest, curving northward after Sycamore and crossing McNeeley Creek twice. Highway 51 crosses the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and a former alignment near Beirne, a small mill town. North of Beirne, Highway 51 begins a wrong-way concurrency with US Highway 67 (US 67). Less than two miles from the Nevada County line, Highway 51 turns north from the concurrency. Highway 51 intersects Interstate 30 (I-30) at a diamond interchange, then continues north through Burtsell. The highway begins paralleling the Caddo Valley Railroad and South Fork Terre Noir Creek, before crossing both shortly after entering the city limits of Okolona. In Okolona, the route passes the historic Okolona Colored High School Gymnasium, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)[4] before an intersection with Highway 182. Highway 51 exits the town to the northeast, briefly overlapping Highway 53 to cross Terre Noir Creek near Holly Grove. Highway 51 turns east to Arkadelphia, passing the Terre Noire Natural Area, which contains blackland prairies and woodland complexes. Highway 51 serves as the eastern terminus of Highway 26 and passes the Bozeman House before entering the city limits.[5]

 
Highway 7, 8, and 51 reassurance markers in Arkadelphia

In Arkadelphia, Highway 51 becomes Hollywood Road and passes Magnolia Manor before an intersection with Highway 8. The two routes begin a concurrency running east, crossing I-30 at a diamond interchange. Highway 8/Highway 51 enter Arkadelphia as Pine Street, serving a mix of commercial and residential land uses before intersecting US 67 and Highway 7 (Tenth Street). The four highways overlap southbound as Tenth Street for two blocks, before turning onto Caddo Street and heading east toward downtown Arkadelphia, passing the historic Clark County Library.[6] At an intersection with Sixth Street, US 67 turns south toward the Arkadelphia Commercial Historic District, and the three state highways continue east to cross the Ouachita River on the Ouachita River Bridge. Shortly after the bridge, Highway 7 and Highway 8 split south toward Griffithtown.[7]

Highway 51 runs east to Joan, where it intersects Highway 128. The highway turns north, entering Hot Spring County.[5] It passes through Brown Springs before serving as the western terminus of Highway 222 east of Donaldson. Highway 51 passes through the small town of Donaldson as Bryant Drive before an intersection with US 67, where it terminates.[8]

Except for the areas around Arkadelphia, traffic counts in 2016 show much of Highway 51 is classified as a very low volume local road by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), meaning fewer than 400 vehicles per day.[9][10]

Malvern

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A second segment of Highway 51 begins at US 270 on the municipal boundary between Rockport and Malvern. It runs north through the small town of Rockport before turning westward toward Butterfield and Magnet Cove. West of Magnet Cove, the highway terminates at US 270.[8] AADT for the highway was highest near Rockport, with 3,200 vehicles per day. Near the western terminus, the traffic counts dropped to 1,400.[9]

History

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Arkansas 51, Old, Curtis to Gum Springs
 
Historic section of Highway 51
Area9.5 acres (3.8 ha)
Built1931 (1931)
Built byD.H. Dalton Co.
MPSArkansas Highway History and Architecture MPS
NRHP reference No.03001457[11]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 2004
KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Old Arkansas 51, Curtis to Gum Springs
KML is not from Wikidata

Highway 51 was created during the 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering as a route between US 67 and Arkadelphia in Clark County.[1]

Near Berine, a former alignment now bears the Clark County Road 12 designation. Along the former alignment, the McNeely Creek Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To the east of Arkadelphia, Highway 51 formerly crossed the Ouachita River on a historic truss bridge.[12] The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 2018 upon the opening of a new bridge.[13]

Between Curtis and Gum Springs, a four-mile-long (6.4 km) stretch of concrete pavement built in 1931 remains intact. Part of the original Highway 51 alignment between Little Rock with Texarkana, the pavement was used until the present section of US 67 was built in 1965.[14] The road section was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.[11]

Major intersections

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Mile markers reset at concurrencies.

CountyLocationmi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
Clark​0.000.00  AR 53 – Camden, GurdonSouthern terminus
​8.18–
0.00		13.16–
0.00		  US 67 – Gurdon, Prescott
​2.423.89  I-30 – Little Rock, Texarkana
Okolona10.2416.48 
  AR 182 east – Gurdon		Western terminus of AR 182
​18.15–
18.99		29.21–
30.56		  AR 53 – GurdonOfficially designated exception
​24.2439.01 
  AR 26 west – Murfreesboro		Eastern terminus of AR 26
Arkadelphia28.9146.53 
  AR 8 west – Glenwood		Begin AR 8 overlap
29.0946.82  I-30 – Texarkana, Little RockI-30 exit 73
31.3150.39 
  
  US 67 north / AR 7 north (10th Street) – Malvern, Hot Springs		Begin US 67/AR 7 overlap
0.000.00 
  US 67 south (6th Street) – Gurdon		End US 67 overlap
0.38–
0.47		0.61–
0.76		Bridge over the Ouachita River
​1.572.53 
  
  AR 7 south / AR 8 east – Fordyce		End AR 7/AR 8 overlap
Joan6.7410.85 
  AR 128 west – Gravel Junction		Eastern terminus of AR 128
Hot Spring​15.8325.48 
  AR 222 east – Leola		Western terminus of AR 222
Donaldson17.3527.92  
  AR 51Y (Bryant Drive) to US 67 – Malvern		Eastern terminus of AR 51Y
17.8828.78  US 67 – MalvernNorthern terminus
Gap in route
Rockport–Malvern line0.000.00  US 270 (Oliver Lancaster Boulevard) – Malvern, Jones MillSouthern terminus
Magnet Cove7.9212.75  US 270 – Hot Springs, MalvernNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Arkansas State Highway Commission (April 1, 1926). Map of the State of Arkansas Showing System of State Highways (TIF) (Map). Arkansas State Highway Commission. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d System Information and Research Division (2014). "Arkansas Road Log Database". Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (MDB) on August 29, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  3. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 29, 2017). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System – Okolona Colored High School Gymnasium (#11000686)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Transportation Planning and Policy Division (October 19, 2012). General Highway Map, Clark County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 910331352. Retrieved January 15, 2018. {{cite map}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "National Register Information System – Clark County Library (#74000469)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  7. ^ Planning and Research Division (April 2006). Map of Arkadelphia, Clark County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. §§ D3–D6, E2–3, E6–7, F1. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Transportation Planning and Policy Division (May 28, 2014). General Highway Map, Hot Spring County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 912542307. Retrieved February 16, 2018. {{cite map}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ a b System Information & Research Division (April 1, 2017). Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates, Hot Spring County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  10. ^ System Information & Research Division (April 1, 2017). Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates, Clark County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  11. ^ a b "National Register Information System – Arkansas 51, Old, Curtis to Gum Springs (#03001457)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  12. ^ "National Register Information System – Arkansas 7/51 Bridge (#05001591)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  13. ^ "Ouachita River Str. & Apprs. (Arkadelphia)". IDriveArkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  14. ^ "NRHP Nomination for Old Arkansas 51, Curtis to Gum Springs" (PDF). Arkansas Preservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
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  Media related to Arkansas Highway 51 at Wikimedia Commons

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