Interstate 530 (I-530) in Arkansas is a spur route of the Interstate highway system, traveling 46.65 miles (75.08 km) from Pine Bluff north-northwest to Little Rock at an interchange of I-30 and I-440.[3] The highway also travels through the cities of Redfield and White Hall. In the future, I-530 will be extended south to I-69 west of Monticello. A short section near the future I-69 alignment has been signed as Highway 530.

Interstate 530 marker
Interstate 530
Map
I-530 highlighted in red, AR 530 in blue; future section in pink
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-30
Maintained by ArDOT
Length46.65 mi[1] (75.08 km)
ExistedAugust 2, 1999[2]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end US 63 / US 79 / US 65B / US 65 / US 425 / AR 190 in Pine Bluff
Major intersections
North end I-30 / US 65 / US 67 / US 167 / I-440 in Little Rock
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountiesJefferson, Grant, Saline, Pulaski
Highway system
AR 463 I-540

Route description

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I-530/US 167 in Pulaski County

The route begins at a high volume interchange with I-30/I-440/US 65/US 67/US 167 in southeast Little Rock.[4] This intersection handles over 100,000 vehicles per day on average.[5] I-530 runs south with US 65 and US 167 through marshland, entering Saline County briefly to split with US 167 south (exit 10).[6] At exit 10, the junction can only accessed by southbound I-530. Northbound I-530 must take exit 9 then come back southbound to access exit 10. After returning to Pulaski County, I-530 has an exit at Hensley with Hensley Road (exit 15, which also connects to AR 365) before entering Jefferson County.[4]

I-530 continues south, passing through forested land and clear cut areas, also running parallel to AR 365. I-530 intersects AR 46 (exit 20) in Redfield before entering White Hall.[7] After an intersection with AR 256 (Holland Avenue, exit 32), the route runs south to serve as the eastern terminus for US 270 at exit 34. This exit also contains Highway 365 Spur (AR 365 Spur) eastbound to White Hall and Sheridan Street. Continuing south to Pine Bluff, I-530 serves as a beltway around the city. I-530 skirts the city to the southwest, including exits for AR 190 (West 19th Street, exit 37), US 79/U.S. Highway 79 Business (US 79B, South Camden Road, exit 39), and US 63/AR 463 (South Olive Street, exit 43).

The Interstate ends at a very large junction with US 63/US 65/US 65B/US 79/US 425/AR 190, after which the roadway continues south as US 65/US 425 toward Dumas.

This Interstate Highway is unusual in that its exit number increase south rather than north. However, the standard for spurs is to increase from the beginning at the parent.[citation needed]

I-530 State Scenic Byway

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I-530 is designated as one of ten Arkansas Scenic Byways for 15 miles (24 km) from AR 256 northwest of White Hall to US 65 in southern Pine Bluff.[8] The route passes over Bayou Bartholomew and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The southern portion was formerly a wetland preserve, but now the land is being developed.

Points of interest

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History

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The current route was formerly designated as US 65. Today, I-530 and US 65 run concurrently as a four-lane freeway spur. The route formally gained the I-530 designation after a full Interstate-grade bypass of Pine Bluff (known locally as the Wiley Branton Highway) replaced an expressway section of US 65 through Pine Bluff that contains at-grade intersections. This segment (known locally as the Martha Mitchell Expressway) was redesignated US 65B; US 65 was rerouted to the bypass before gaining the I-530 codesignation.

Exit list

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CountyLocationmi[3]kmExitDestinationsNotes
JeffersonPine Bluff46.6375.04 
 
US 65 south (US 425 south) – Dumas, McGehee, Lake Village
Continuation south; southern end of US 65 concurrency
46.3274.5446 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
US 63 north / US 79 north / US 65B north / AR 190 west (Harding Avenue) – Downtown Pine Bluff
Southern end of US 63/US 79 concurrency; signed for Harding Avenue southbound, Downtown northbound
43.87–
44.03
70.60–
70.86
44 
 
AR 530 south – Star City, Monticello
Future I-530 south
Pine Bluff42.9969.1943 
 
 
 
US 63 south / AR 463 north – Warren, El Dorado
Northern end of US 63 concurrency; southern terminus of AR 463
41.9767.5442Hazel Street
40.8565.7441Old Warren Road
39.4663.5039 
 
 
 
US 79 south / US 79B north – Rison, Fordyce, Camden
Northern end of US 79 concurrency; southern terminus of US 79B
37.5360.4037  AR 190 (West 13th Street)
36.5758.8536Princeton Pike
White Hall35.33–
35.14
56.86–
56.55
35 
 
US 65B south – Pine Bluff
Northern terminus of US 65B
33.6754.1934 
 
 
 
US 270 west / AR 365S east – White Hall, Sheridan
Eastern terminus of US 270; western terminus of AR 365S
31.7451.0832  AR 256 – White Hall, Pine Bluff Arsenal
29.7847.9330  AR 104
26.5342.7027  CR 4 (Gravel Pit Road)
23.6938.1324Jefferson, National Center for Toxicological ResearchAccess via Stagecoach Road
19.9432.0920  AR 46 – Redfield
Pulaski14.9624.0815HensleyAccess via Hensley Road
Saline11.6318.7212WoodsonAccess via Woodson Lateral Road
9.9616.0310 
 
US 167 south – Sheridan, Fordyce, El Dorado
Southern end of US 167 concurrency; no northbound exit
Pulaski8.7714.119Bingham Road
6.5710.577145th Street / Pratt Road
2.714.363  AR 338 (Dixon Road)
Little Rock1 
 
 
 
  I-30 west (US 67 south) / I-440 east – Hot Springs, Texarkana, Memphis, St. Louis, Airport
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 1B (west) and 1A (east); exit 138A on I-30; western terminus and exit 138A on I-440
0.000.00 
 
 
 
 
 
I-30 east / US 65 north / US 167 north (US 67 north) – Downtown Little Rock
Northern terminus; northern end of US 65/US 167 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Future

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Arkansas Highway 530

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Highway 530
Future I-530
SIU 28 of Interstate 69
AR 530 highlighted in blue; future section in pink
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
ExistedOctober 22, 1986–present
Southern segment
South end  US 278
North end  AR 35
Northern segment
South end  AR 11
Major intersections  AR 114
  AR 212
North end     I-530 / US 63 / US 65 / US 79
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
Highway system

A planned extension of the route pushes the Interstate south to US 278 in Wilmar. The first segment of the extension from US 278 north to Highway 35 opened as a two-lane expressway designated Arkansas Highway 530 (AR 530) on June 6, 2006.[9] This extension is intended to connect to the proposed southern extension of I-69; US 278 at Wilmar also provides four-lane access to the future I-530 from the larger cities of Warren and Monticello, thus allowing both to champion its completion. Though sufficient right-of-way was provided and grading done for interchanges at both ends as well as two additional lanes, this segment presently has stop signs at both ends and an intersection with Bradley County Road 96 (CR 96)/Barkada Road.

The second segment of the extension opened in September 2013. It connects the I-530 interchange in Pine Bluff with Highway 11 in Lincoln County and is 18 miles (29 km) in length. Currently, the segment is two lanes until further funding is available.[10][11]

The remaining segments between Highway 35 and Pine Bluff will also be built as a two-lane expressway, similar to the existing Highway 35–US 278 segment and Pine Bluff intersection to Highway 114 segment. Initially, the only full interchange will be with the present I-530 at Pine Bluff; grade crossings will be built at other planned interchanges, but the stretches between grade crossings will be true two-lane freeways with grade separations and service roads where needed. The route includes sufficient right-of-way to build interchanges and two additional lanes later; the Pine Bluff interchange will be a full freeway-to-freeway facility designed for the future four-lane freeway. On August 18, 2015, the next segment—Highway 114 to Highway 11—was opened to traffic.[12] The segment from AR 11 to AR 35 is not yet built. Eventually, the route will connect Pine Bluff and Little Rock to I-69.

Exit list

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All exits are unnumbered.

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Drew  I-69 – MonticelloProposed southern terminus
  US 278 – Monticello, Wilmar, WarrenCurrent southern terminus; at-grade intersection
  
 
 
 
AR 35 to US 63 / US 425 – Rye
Current northern terminus; at-grade intersection
Gap in route
Lincoln  AR 11Current southern terminus; at-grade intersection
  AR 114 – Star City, Monticello, PalmyraAt-grade intersection
  
 
AR 212 to AR 54 – Star City
At-grade intersection
Cleveland
No major junctions
Jefferson 
 
 
 
I-530 south / US 65 south (US 63 north / US 79 north) – Dumas, McGehee, Lake Village
Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 44 on I-530
 
 
 
 
I-530 north / US 65 north (US 63 south / US 79 south) – Little Rock
Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^ "Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ^ "The 90s". Historical review volume two: Arkansas State Highway Commission and Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, 1913-2003. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. April 2004. p. 157.
  3. ^ a b "[Arkansas] State Highways 2009 (Database)." April 2010. AHTD: Planning and Research Division. Database. Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  4. ^ a b General Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (Pulaski County ed.). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  5. ^ Average Daily Traffic (ADT) Map, Little Rock, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (2010 ed.). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  6. ^ General Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (Saline County ed.). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  7. ^ General Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (Jefferson County ed.). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  8. ^ "Interstate 530 State Scenic Byway." Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Drive Profile. Archived 2010-02-10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  9. ^ New Arkansas Highway To Be Dedicated | todaysthv.com
  10. ^ "New State Highway 530 opens". Pine Bluff Commercial.
  11. ^ "Arkansas 530 stretch is officially dedicated". Arkansas Online. 2013-09-07. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  12. ^ "Road projects near Star City create bypass". Arkansas Online. 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2023-01-29.