Another section of U.S.63 in northeast Arkansas has been redesignated as Interstate 555, the Arkansas Department of Transportation has announced.
The 4.8-mile section between U.S. 49 South, also called Southwest Drive, and Arkansas 91, also called Dan Avenue, in Jonesboro has been determined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration to meet interstate standards.
A 44-mile segment of U.S. 63 between U.S. 49 South in Craighead County and Interstate 55 in Turrell in Crittenden County was redesignated as Interstate 555 in 2016.
The conversion of U.S. 63 to interstate standards between Interstate 55 and Highway 91 began with a 1987 earmark of $2 million from Congress.
Since that time, more than $300 million, including $65.2 million in congressional earmarks, has been invested to upgrade the corridor linking the Jonesboro region with I-55 and the Memphis metropolitan area, according to the department.
“I want to express my appreciation to Arkansas’ past and present congressional delegation, my fellow highway commissioners and ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor and her staff for their work on this very important corridor,” Alec Farmer of Jonesboro, vice chairman for the state highway commission, said in a news release.
“And, of course, I want to thank our local area leaders who over the last five decades worked so hard on improving Highway 63 to bring us to this point.”