Interstate 55 in Arkansas

Interstate 55
Route of I-55 in red
Route information
Maintained by AHTD
Length:	72.22 mi[1] (116.23 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-55 / US 61 / US 64 / US 70 at Tennessee state line
	I-40 in West Memphis I-555 / US 61 / US 63 / AR 77 in Turrell US 61 in Blytheville
North end:	I-55 at Missouri state line
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Arkansas Highway System Interstate US State Business Spurs Scenic Heritage Trails ← AR 54 AR 56 →

Interstate 55 (I-55) is a north–south Interstate Highway that has a 72.22-mile (116.23 km) section in the U.S. state of Arkansas connecting sections in Tennessee and Missouri. The route enters Arkansas on the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge over the Mississippi River from Memphis. 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 Interstate 40 in West Memphis and has a junction with Interstate 555, a spur route to Jonesboro, in Turrell. For the majority of its routing through Arkansas, I-55 generally follows U.S. Route 61 (US 61) through Arkansas.

Route description

Interstate 55 splits from Interstate 40 in West Memphis.

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 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 79 form a concurrency with Interstate 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 63/US 79 continuing west to Little Rock and I-55/US 61/US 63/US 64 running north into Marion. US 64 exits I-55/US 61/US 63 in Marion, continuing west as Old Military Road toward Wynne. Interstate 55 continues to run through farmlands of the Arkansas delta, paralleling Highway 77 until Turrell.

Diagram of I-55 interchange#23, I-55/US 63/US 61 meets AR 77 and becomes I-555/US 63, I-55/US 61, and AR 77.

In Turrell, I-55/US 61/US 63 meets the southern terminus of I-555, a spur route of I-55 connecting Jonesboro to the Interstate Highway system. I-555/US 63 run north to Jonesboro, while Highway 77 and US 61 become frontage roads for I-55. Slightly east of this junction these frontage roads depart I-55, with Highway 77 running near Birdsong and US 61 serving Wilson. I-55 runs northeast to enter Mississippi County, Arkansas, having junctions with Highway 118 to Joiner, Highway 181 to Bassett, Highway 14 near Marie, and Highway 181 near Keiser. In Osceola, the route has a junction with Highway 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. Interstate 55 intersects Highway 18 in Blytheville before exiting town headed due north. The route has a junction with Highway 150 just before crossing the Missouri state line.

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Shelby	Memphis				I-55 south / US 61 south / US 64 east / US 70 east / US 79 east	Continuation into Tennessee
Mississippi River				Memphis & Arkansas Bridge; Tennessee–Arkansas state line
Crittenden	West Memphis			1	Bridgeport Road
				3A	AR 131 (Mound City Road)	Northbound exit only
				3B	US 70 west (Broadway Boulevard) – West Memphis	Northern end of US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
				4	Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Southland Drive to I-40 east – Memphis
				-	I-40 east – Memphis, Nashville	Southern end of I-40 overlap, east exit 279B; northbound exit and southbound entrance.
				5	Ingram Boulevard	Southbound signed as Exit 279A
				278	AR 77 (Missouri Street) / AR 191 north (7th Street)	AR 77 (Missouri Street) signed northbound only
				7	AR 77 / Missouri Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	​			8	I-40 west / US 63 south / US 79 west – Little Rock, Forrest City	Northern end of I-40 and US 79 overlaps, Southern end of US 63 overlap, north exit 277
	Marion			10	US 64 west – Marion, Sunset, Wynne
	​			14	CR 4 – Jericho
	​			17	AR 50 – Jericho
	​			21	AR 42 – Turrell
	Turrell			23	I-555 north / US 61 north / US 63 north / AR 77 – Marked Tree, Jonesboro, Turrell	Northern end of US 61 and US 63 overlaps, exits 1A-B; signed as exits 23A (I-555/US 63/AR 77 north) and 23B (US 61/AR 77 south) southbound, no southbound entry from northbound AR 77.
Mississippi	​			34	AR 118 – Tyronza, Joiner
	​			36	AR 181 – Bassett, Wilson
	​			41	AR 14 – Lepanto, Marie
	​			44	AR 181 – Keiser, Marie, Wilson
	​			48	AR 140 – Osceola
	​			53	AR 158 – Victoria, Luxora
	​			57	AR 148 – Burdette
	Blytheville			63	US 61 – Blytheville
				67	AR 18 – Blytheville
	​			71	AR 150 – Arkansas International Airport
	​			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       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Planning and Research Division (March 28, 2012). "Arkansas Road Log Database" (MBD). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
2. 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. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
3. 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. Retrieved April 26, 2012.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

Media related to Interstate 55 in Arkansas at Wikimedia Commons