Interstate 555 Arkansas

Interstate 555 Arkansas

Overview

Interstate 555 replaced U.S. 63 along a freeway stretching northwest from I-55 at Turrell to AR 91 on the west side of Jonesboro. A mostly rural route, I-555 serves the small cities of Gilmore, Tyronza, Marked Tree and Bay as it joins the Memphis area with Trumann and Jonesboro.

Sign fabrication was underway for I-555 by December 2015 while the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), predecessor to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) awaited approved from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Interstate highway. Installation on the new assemblies was expected to take up to four weeks.4 The designation became official at a dedication ceremony held at St. Bernards Auditorium in Jonesboro on March 11, 2016.5

ArDOT applied for a 4.81 mile long extension of I-555 from U.S. 49 and Highway 18 (Southwest Drive) north to Highway 91 in Spring 2016. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering approved the extension over the remainder of the freeway along U.S. 63 through Jonesboro on May 24, 2016.6 With approval by the FHWA, ArDOT announced that I-555 was official from U.S. 49/63 (Southwest Drive) to AR 91 (Dan Avenue) on November 23, 2021.7

History

U.S. 63 was established as High Priority Corridor 39 in 1998.1 Until 1999, U.S. 63 ended at Turrell and Interstate 55. A southward extension lengthened the route to I-40 at West Memphis, Hazen and I-20 at Ruston, Louisiana.

AHTD submitted an application to the AASHTO for the establishment of Interstate 555 along U.S. 63 from I-55 north of Marion to AR 91 in Jonesboro on April 16, 1999. The Route Numbering Subcommittee however disapproved the designation because significant portions of the expressway did not meet Interstate standards and would not for some time. AHTD applied to AASHTO for I-555 again and was subsequently granted Future Interstate status for the route December 9, 2000.

As of December 2003, 26 miles of Future I-555 between Jonesboro and Payneway were built to Interstate standards with 18 miles remaining. Ground breaking for a new overpass at AR 149 in Poinsett County followed as part of a $100 million federally funded project to continue Interstate upgrades along U.S. 63. Interchanges were constructed in 2004 at AR 118 and AR 135 near the city of Tyronza. Succeeding work upgraded the exchange between I-55 and U.S. 63 to a freeway-to-freeway connection.1

Interstate 555 remained unsigned due to a portion of U.S. 63 at Sunken Lands. This section was not fully controlled access, with farm equipment from adjacent private land using the roadway. Upgrading these two stretches of U.S. 63 to Interstate standards, and building companion frontage roads at Marked Tree and just to the west, was estimated to cost $50 million.2 This resulted in the farm vehicle exemption language included by Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) federal highway authorization bill of December 2015.3

Signed for nearly 15 years as Future I-555, the Arkansas State Highway Commission voted to designate 44 miles of U.S. 63 as Interstate 555 on December 2, 2015. Language in the FAST bill signed by President Obama on December 4, 2015, included the exemption for building a two lane frontage road across the St. Francis River floodway for farm vehicles. This exemption saved ArDOT $33 million in costs estimated for building the road required to accommodate farm vehicles. Without the exemption, as farm vehicles are prohibited otherwise from using an Interstate highway, farmers would otherwise be forced to make a 90-mile detour to circumvent U.S. 63 / I-555.3 Signs referencing the farm equipment usage went up on I-555 on January 28, 2016.

$250 million in upgrades took place along the U.S. 63 corridor over a 40 year period leading to the redesignation of I-555 from a Future route.3 Having been replaced by I-555, and overlapping with I-55 south and I-40 west, U.S. 63 was relocated from Jonesboro to Brinkley to run alongside U.S. 49 on a more direct route. This change was approved by AASHTO on May 21, 2019. Business routes for U.S. 61 at Jonesboro and Marked Tree from I-555 were also eliminated. I-555 remained unposted west from U.S. 49 to Highway 91 at Jonesboro until 2022.

Route Information

  • North End – Jonesboro, AR

  • South End – Turrell, AR

  • Mileage – 49.57 (49.08*)

  • Cities – Turrell, Gilmore, Tyronza, Marked Tree, Trumann, Bay, Jonesboro

  • Junctions – I-55

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
* – Email correspondence with Danny Staessle, AHTD Public Information Officer on June 2, 2016.

I-555 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Source: 2017 Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates (Arkansas Department of Transportation)

Northeastern Arkansas - 2003

Future Interstate 555 on the 2003 Arkansas Official Highway Map.

Future I-555 Sign - 2001

Future Interstate 555 corridor sign along U.S. 63 between I-55 and Jonesboro. Photo by Chris Lawrence (2001).

I-555 at I-55 Turrel, AR - 2006

Construction for the eventual overpass taking Interstate 555 across I-55 at Turrell. Photo by Robert Lee (07/08/06).

North End US 63 AR 91 – Jonesboro, Arkansas

I-555 North at US 63 AR 91

I-555 north at US 49-63/AR 18 - Jonesboro

Interstate 555 signs discontinue along the U.S. 63 freeway north at the split with U.S. 49 south at Exit 45. 01/14/19

I-555/US 63 north at AR 91 - Jonesboro

I-555/U.S. 63 pass by Joe Mack Campbell Park one mile ahead of Exit 49 with AR 91 (Dan Avenue). 05/07/22

I-555/US 63 north at AR 91 - Jonesboro

U.S. 63 continues beyond the end of I-555 at AR 91 (Dan Avenue) as a five lane arterial. AR 91 east leads back toward Downtown Jonesboro while the state highway west takes a stair stepped route to rural Winesburg and Egypt. U.S. 63 connects Jonesboro with Hoxie, Walnut Ridge and U.S. 67 (Future I-57). 05/07/22

US 63 South at I-555 AR 91

US 63 south at I-555 - Jonesboro, AR

U.S. 63 south transitions onto Interstate 555 (Joe N. Martin Expressway) through the west side of Jonesboro at the parclo interchange (Exit 49) with AR 91 (Dan Avenue). 05/07/22

I-555/US 63 south at AR 91 - Jonesboro

AR 91 (Dan Avenue) provides a direct route from I-555/U.S. 63 east to Main Street north of Downtown Jonesboro and the campus of Arkansas State University (A-State). 05/07/22

US 63 south at I-555/AR 91 - 2012

I-555 was approved to the exchange (Exit 49) with AR 91 in 2016 but remained unmarked here until 2022. 05/03/12

I-555/US 63 south at US 49/AR 18 - Jonesboro

I-555 began southbound at Exit 45 until November 2021. U.S. 49 combines with I-555 east from Southwest Drive and Highway 18 to Red Wolf Boulevard while U.S. 63 combines with U.S. 49 to the southwest from the parclo interchange. 01/14/19

AR 91 North at I-555 US 63

AR 91 north at I-555/US 63 - Jonesboro

AR 91 (Dan Avenue) meets I-555 south and U.S. 63 on the northwest side of Jonesboro. U.S. 63 travels northwest to U.S. 67 and U.S. 412 at Walnut Ridge. 05/07/22

AR 91 north at I-555/US 63 - Jonesboro

Interstate 555 heads southeast across Jonesboro from AR 91 (Dan Avenue) toward Trumann and Marked Tree. 05/07/22

AR 91 north at I-555/US 63 - Jonesboro

The 4.7 mile long concurrency taking U.S. 63 southeast to U.S. 49 (Southwest Drive) alongside I-555 is unmarked per ArDOT signing practices. 05/07/22

AR 91 South at I-555 US 63

AR 91 south at I-555/US 63 - Jonesboro

AR 91 navigates along an L-shaped course south from Walnut Ridge to the town of Egypt and east to I-555/U.S. 63 in Jonesboro. 05/07/22

AR 91 south at I-555/US 63 - Jonesboro

I-555/U.S. 63 south connect AR 91 (Dan Avenue) with U.S. 49, though that reference was greened out on this guide sign at the freeway entrance ramp by 2019. 05/07/22

South End I-55 US 61 AR 77 – Turrell, Arkansas

I-555 AR 77 South at I-55 US 61

I-555 south at I-55/US 61-AR 77 - Gilmore

Although not marked, U.S. 61/AR 77 south combine with Interstate 555 from the rural city of Gilmore to I-55 at Turrell. 01/14/19

I-555 south at I-55/US 61-AR 77 - Gilmore

Frontage roads accompany I-555 south across Little Cypress Bayou to from Gilmore to the west side of Interstate 55 by Turrell. U.S. 61 continues 16 miles south along I-55 to Interstate 40 from forthcoming Exit 1 A. 01/14/19

I-555 south at I-55/US 61-AR 77 - Gilmore

A single lane ramp (Exit 1 A) departs I-555 south for I-55 and U.S. 61 south to West Memphis and Memphis, Tennessee. 01/14/19

I-555 south at I-55/US 61-AR 77 - Turrell

AR 77 extends from the south end of Interstate 555 at Lake David into the city of Turrell. Exit 1 B loops onto I-55 north to St. Louis, Missouri. 01/14/19

I-555 south at I-55/US 61-AR 77 - Turrell

Paralleling the Mississippi River, Interstate 55 angles northeast along a rural corridor to Blytheville. U.S. 61 follows to the east from Turrell north to Osceola while AR 77 runs south along I-55 to U.S. 70 in West Memphis. 01/14/19

I-55 US 61 North at I-555 AR 77

I-55/US 61 north at I-555/AR 77 - Turrell

Leading north from AR 42, Interstate 55 and U.S. 61 separate at Exit 23. Interstate 555 replaced U.S. 63 northwest 44 miles to Jonesboro, where it emerges from an overlap with U.S. 49 to Bono and Hoxie. 05/06/22

I-55/US 61 north at I-555/AR 77 - Turrell

Exit 23 departs I-55 north for I-555/AR 77 north to Gillmore, U.S. 61 north to Wilson and AR 77 south to Turrell. 05/06/22

I-55/US 61-63 north at I-555/AR 77 - 2019

The sign bridge at Exit 23 was taken down by March 2019. The replacement included new overheads removing U.S. 63. 01/14/19

I-55/US 61 north at I-555/AR 77 - Turrell

The flyover connecting I-55/U.S. 61 north with Interstate 555 to Marked Tree was completed in 2006. Highway 77 overlaps with I-555 north from Turrell to Gilmore, where it doubles back south along the east side frontage road. 05/06/22

I-55/US 61 north at US 63/AR 77 - 2001

Originally a six-ramp parclo interchange joined I-55/U.S. 61-63 north with AR 77 at Turrell. The loop ramp (old Exit 23 B) for Marked Tree was replaced with the flyover for Interstate 555. Photo by Jeff Morrison (12/29/01).

I-55 US 61 South at I-555 AR 77

I-55/US 61 south at I-555/AR 77 - Turrell

A ten mile exit less stretch along Interstate 55 south culminates in northern Crittenden County where I-555, U.S. 61 and AR 77 converge. AR 77 and U.S. 61 parallel I-55 leading into the exchange at Turrell. I-55 subsumes U.S. 61 southward to West Memphis while I-555 replaced U.S. 63 northwest to Jonesboro. Photo by Peter Johnson (02/21/20).

I-55/US 61 south at I-555/AR 77 - Turrell

A BNSF Railroad line passes over Interstate 55 south just ahead of directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 23 B) with I-555, U.S. 61 and Highway 77. 04/14/13

I-55/US 61 south at I-555/AR 77 - Turrell

Interstate 555 leads northwest 13 miles to Marked Tree and 28 miles to Trumann. Photo by Peter Johnson (02/21/20).

AR 77 North at I-55 I-555 US 61

AR 77 north at I-555/US 61 - Turrell

AR 77 north at U.S. 61, I-55 and Interstate 555 at Turrell. U.S. 61 follows the east side frontage road of I-55 northeast toward Wilson. 01/14/19

AR 77 north at I-555/US 61 - Turrell

The entrance ramp for Interstate 55 north to Blytheville and St. Louis, Missouri follows from U.S. 61 south / AR 77 north. Interstate 555 begins just ahead. 01/14/19

AR 77 north at I-555/US 61 - Turrell

The left turn from U.S. 61 north / Highway 77 south was eliminated during construction to upgrade the exchange at I-55/555. The two highways continue north with I-555 to Gilmore, where U.S. 61 doubles back southward to join Interstate 55. 01/14/19

Sources

  1. Information obtained from “I-555 work starts with ceremony in Marked Tree” posted on the GoMemphis: Mid-south web site News July 4, 2003
  2. “Re: AR: Future I-555” online posting by Grzrd, AARoads Forum, July 26, 2014.
  3. “Highway Commission OKs designating portion of U.S. 63 as I-555.” Arkansas News, December 2, 2015.
  4. “Re: AR: Future I-555 ” online posting by AHTD, AARoads Forum, December 4, 2015.
  5. “I-555 to be dedicated Friday in Jonesboro.” KASU, March 9, 2016.
  6. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering meeting scheduled for May 24, 2016. AASHTO 2016 Spring Meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.
  7. “I-555 designation extends to Dan Avenue in Jonesboro.” KUAF 91.3 FM, November 24, 2021.

Page updated June 15, 2022.