A federal highway that stretches more than 700 miles from Charleston, S.C., will be extended west beyond Memphis and deep into northeast Arkansas.
Roughly 140 miles of primary Arkansas highways -- in-state portions of Interstates 55 and 555 and U.S. 49, as well as Arkansas 226, 18 and 18 Spur -- will be dual-signed as U.S. 78, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
The Arkansas Highway Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to move forward with the designation.
That action means a stretch of six connecting highways from the Tennessee border to a major intersection west of Jonesboro will become one long highway.
"We're really excited about that designation and being a part of that national corridor," said Craighead County Judge Marvin Day, who attended Wednesday's meeting in Little Rock. "It's another way that really puts Jonesboro and northeast Arkansas on the map."
The driving force behind the new highway designation is the desire to have a single federal highway connect Memphis to the future Interstate 57, said Alec Farmer, chairman of the Highway Commission.
The future I-57, which mostly follows the path of U.S. 67 from Little Rock to the Missouri line, runs north and south about 13 miles west of the outer edge of Jonesboro.
Farmer, who is from northeast Arkansas, said after Wednesday's meeting that the new highway designation is "another arrow in the quiver" for economic development and workforce recruitment in the region.
He and Day both pointed out that big businesses and developers like to see a highway system with easy connectivity when they choose areas for growth.
"This is not only beneficial for the traveling public, but a lot of people in the economic development space have certain requirements," Day said. "If you meet that criteria, they'll work with you further. If this gets us noticed by other national organizations, then that will really help us make economic progress."
Farmer further emphasized that U.S. 78 will serve to connect two existing interstates with a future interstate, which is another key component that large corporations consider.
Jonesboro will become the latest city that U.S. 78 passes through, joining Memphis; Tupelo, Miss.; Birmingham, Ala.; Augusta, Ga.; Atlanta; and Charleston.
The corridor that runs from Little Rock to the Missouri line will be renamed I-57 after a series of construction projects are completed, including a 42-mile stretch north of Walnut Ridge. That project is scheduled to begin in 2025, so the I-57 renaming is still years away, officials have said.
In related news, the Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday issued a Record of Decision identifying the chosen route for future I-57 between Walnut Ridge and the Missouri line.
The latest development means that the final design and right-of-way acquisition phases for the project are set to begin, according to the state Transportation Department.
The selected route begins at the U.S. 67 and U.S. 412 interchange in Walnut Ridge and extends north across the Black River east of Pocahontas. The route goes northeast toward Corning and then north to the Missouri border.
The interstate already runs through Illinois and Missouri. Once it is connected to Arkansas, motorists will have a single interstate route from Little Rock to Chicago.
Lorie Tudor, director of the Transportation Department, said during Wednesday's meeting that choosing a route for the future I-57 north of Walnut Ridge was a "monumental milestone" for Arkansas.