Interstate 55 (I-55) is a north–south Interstate Highway that has a 72.22-mile (116.23 km) section in the US state of Arkansas connecting sections in Tennessee and Missouri. The route enters Arkansas on the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge over the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee. It travels northward through northeast Arkansas, connecting the cities of West Memphis and Blytheville. I-55 continues into Missouri heading to St. Louis, Missouri. The highway overlaps I-40 in West Memphis and has a junction with I-555, a spur route to Jonesboro, in Turrell. For the majority of its routing through Arkansas, I-55 generally follows U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) and has a 67.08-mile (107.95 km) long concurrency with US 78 from the Tennessee state line in Memphis to Blytheville for most of its length.
.svg) Interstate 55 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-55 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ArDOT | ||||
| Length | 72.22 mi[1] (116.23 km) | |||
| Existed | 1957–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |       I-55 / US 61 / US 64 / US 70 / US 78 / US 79 at the Tennessee state line | |||
 US 70 in West Memphis  I-40 / US 79 in West Memphis US 64 in Marion   I-555 / US 61 / AR 77 in Turrell US 61 in Blytheville  US 78 / AR 18 in Blytheville | ||||
| North end | I-55 at the Missouri state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Arkansas | |||
| Counties | Crittenden, Mississippi | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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I-55 enters Arkansas from Memphis, Tennessee, on the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge over the Mississippi River, sharing the bridge with US 61/US 64/US 70/US 78/US 79. Shortly after entering the state, the highway enters West Memphis, where US 70 exits the route and becomes Broadway Avenue. I-55/US 61/US 64/US 78/US 79 form a concurrency with I-40 at exit 5, an overlap that lasts 3.1 miles (5.0 km).[2] The highways split at I-40 exit 277, with I-40/US 79 continuing west to Little Rock and I-55/US 61/US 64/US 78 running north into Marion. US 64 exits I-55/US 61/US 78 in Marion, continuing west as Old Military Road toward Wynne. I-55 continues to run through farmlands of the Arkansas delta, paralleling Highway 77 (AR 77) until Turrell.
In Turrell, I-55/US 61/US 78 meets the southern terminus of I-555, a spur route of I-55 connecting Jonesboro to the Interstate Highway System. I-555 run north to Jonesboro, while AR 77 and US 61 become frontage roads for I-55/US 78. Slightly east of this junction, these frontage roads depart I-55, with AR 77 running near Birdsong and US 61 serving Wilson. I-55 runs northeast to enter Mississippi County, having junctions with AR 118 to Joiner, AR 181 to Bassett, AR 14 near Marie, and AR 181 near Keiser. In Osceola, the route has a junction with AR 140 near Osceola Municipal Airport.[3] I-55 continues northeast, intersecting minor state highways in rural Mississippi County before a junction with US 61 in south Blytheville. US 78 departs from I-55 where it intersects AR 18 in Blytheville before exiting town headed due north. The route has a junction with AR 150 just before crossing the Missouri state line.
Exit list
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River | 0.00 | 0.00 |     I-55 south / US 61 south / US 64 east / US 70 east / US 78 east / US 79 north – Memphis, Jackson MS | Continuation into Tennessee | ||
| 0.72 | 1.16 | Memphis & Arkansas Bridge | ||||
| Crittenden | West Memphis | 1.066 | 1.716 | 1 | Bridgeport Road | |
| 2.831 | 4.556 | 3A |  AR 131 (Mound City Road) | Northbound exit only | ||
| 3.100 | 4.989 | 3B |  US 70 west (Broadway Boulevard) – West Memphis | Northern end of US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 3.603 | 5.798 | 4 | Martin Luther King Jr. Drive / Southland Drive | Southland Drive not signed southbound | ||
| 4.766 | 7.670 | 279B |  I-40 east – Memphis, Nashville | Southern end of I-40 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 4.779 | 7.691 | 279A (SB) 5 (NB) | Ingram Boulevard | |||
| 5.246 | 8.443 | 278 |  AR 77 (Missouri Street) / AR 191 north (7th Street) | AR 77/Missouri Street not signed southbound | ||
| 7.088– 7.513 | 11.407– 12.091 | 277 (NB) 8 (SB) |  I-40 west / US 79 south – Little Rock, Forrest City | Northern end of I-40 / US 79 overlap | ||
| 7 | AR 77 (Missouri Street) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| Marion | 9.819 | 15.802 | 10 | US 64 west (Military Road) – Marion, Sunset, Wynne | Northern end of US 64 overlap | |
| | 13.549 | 21.805 | 14 |  CR 4 – Jericho | ||
| | 16.829 | 27.084 | 17 |  AR 50 – Clarkedale | ||
| | 21.219 | 34.149 | 21 |  AR 42 – Turrell | ||
| Turrell | 23.189 | 37.319 | 23 |  I-555 north / US 61 north / AR 77 – Marked Tree, Jonesboro, Turrell | Northern end of US 61 overlap; signed as exits 23B (south) and 23A (north) southbound | |
| Mississippi | | 33.249 | 53.509 | 34 |   AR 118 / AR 297 south – Joiner, Tyronza | |
| | 35.279 | 56.776 | 36 |  AR 181 – Bassett, Wilson | ||
| | 41.099 | 66.142 | 41 |  AR 14 – Lepanto, Marie | ||
| | 43.619 | 70.198 | 44 | AR 181 – Keiser, Wilson | ||
| | 48.039 | 77.311 | 48 |  AR 140 – Osceola, Etowah | ||
| | 52.619 | 84.682 | 53 |  AR 158 – Victoria, Luxora | ||
| | 57.179 | 92.021 | 57 |  AR 148 – Burdette, Wilson Junction | ||
| Blytheville | 63.049 | 101.468 | 63 |   US 61 to AR 312 west – Blytheville, Dell | ||
| 67.079 | 107.953 | 67 | US 78 west / AR 18 – Blytheville, Armorel | Northern end of US 78 overlap | ||
| | 71.059 | 114.358 | 71 |  AR 150 – Yarbro, Gosnell | Leads to Arkansas International Airport | |
| | 71.969 | 115.823 | 72 | State Line Road | Northbound exit and entrance | |
| |   I-55 north to I-57 – St. Louis, Chicago | Continuation into Missouri | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b Planning and Research Division (March 28, 2012). "Arkansas Road Log Database". Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (MBD) on June 23, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ General Highway Map, Crittenden County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. January 2, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ General Highway Map, Mississippi County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. January 11, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
External links
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Media related to Interstate 55 in Arkansas at Wikimedia Commons
