Highway 163 (AR 163, Ark. 163, and Hwy. 163) is a north–south

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

Northeast Arkansas The geography of Arkansas varies widely. The state is covered by mountains, river valleys, forests, lakes, and bayous in addition to the cities of Arkansas. Hot Springs National Park features bubbling springs of hot water, formerly sought across t ...

. The highway begins at Wittsburg and runs northeast to Highway 1, Highway 1 Business (AR 1B) and

Crowley's Ridge Parkway Crowley's Ridge Parkway is a National Scenic Byway in northeast Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel along Crowley's Ridge in the United States. Motorists can access the parkway from US Route 49 (US 49) at its southern terminus near the Hele ...

(CRP) in Jonesboro. A spur route runs in Jonesboro. All routes are maintained by the

Arkansas Department of Transportation The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT), formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, is a government department in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its mission is to provide a safe, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and en ...

(ArDOT). Almost all of the route is concurrent with Crowley's Ridge Parkway, with a portion also serving as an Arkansas Heritage Trail for its use during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Route description

Highway 163 runs in

, a region mostly characterized by the

Arkansas Delta The Arkansas Delta is one of the six natural regions of the state of Arkansas. Willard B. Gatewood Jr., author of ''The Arkansas Delta: Land of Paradox'', says that rich cotton lands of the Arkansas Delta make that area "The Deepest of the Deep ...

, a sparsely populated rural area with farms and small settlements. However, Highway 163 runs its entire length along

Crowley's Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most prom ...

, a small

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...

ridge rising above the flat Delta. The route passes several cultural and historical points in the region, including a historic

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

and an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

trail. State maintenance begins at Wittsburg near the

Wittsburg Store and Gas Station The Wittsburg Store and Gas Station is a historic retail establishment on Cross County Road 637 in Wittsburg, Arkansas. It is the only commercial building in the community. Built c. 1930, it is a single-story wood-frame structure with a gable ro ...

, with the roadway continuing south as a county road. Highway 163 runs north to a junction with US 64 and the Crowley's Ridge Parkway (CRP). The routes briefly overlap to the east, with Highway 163/CRP turning north and passing the John H. Johnston Cotton Gin Historic District and the

Capt. Isaac N. Deadrick House The Capt. Isaac N. Deadrick House is a historic house on the west side of Arkansas Highway 163, a short way north of its junction with United States Route 64 in the community of Levesque, Arkansas. It is a two-story wood frame T-shaped struct ...

, both listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Highway 163/CRP run north, serving as the eastern terminus for Highway 364 and meeting Highway 42 near Birdeye. After crossing into Poinsett County, the routes serve as the southern terminus of Highway 373 before passing

Lake Poinsett State Park Lake Poinsett State Park is a List of Arkansas state parks, Arkansas state park on Crowley's Ridge in Poinsett County, Arkansas, Poinsett County, Arkansas in the United States. The park was formed after the damming of Distress Creek to create a ...

. Highway 163/CRP intersect Highway 14 east of

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

, including a brief overlap. Continuing north, Highway 163/CRP intersect Highway 214, Highway 158, and Highway 69 before entering Craighead County. Highway 163 has a junction with Highway 158 in southern Craighead County before turning northwest toward Jonesboro. Shortly after entering the city, Highway 163 Spur begins at the parent route, running north as Apt Drive through a residential subdivision. Highway 163 continues west, intersecting with Highway 1, where it terminates, with the roadway continuing north as Highway 1B.

History

Between Jonesboro and US 64, Highway 163 is designated as an Arkansas Heritage Trail. During the Civil War, Union General John Wynn Davidson used the route to march cavalry from southeast

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

down

, following a rumor Confederate General

Sterling Price Major-General Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. Prior to ...

's army was planning to attack Missouri via Crowley's Ridge. After marching and finding no Confederates, General Davidson headed west and started the Little Rock Campaign in 1863. The route was established by the

Arkansas State Highway Commission The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT), formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, is a government department in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its mission is to provide a safe, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and en ...

(ASHC) on July 10, 1957, beginning at the Poinsett County line and running south through Birdeye to a county road.. The southern terminus was extended south by on September 17, 1958. The route was created in accordance with Act 148 of the 1957

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

. It was extended south to Levesque on June 29, 1960. A second segment was created from Lake Poinsett State Park to Harrisburg on June 23, 1965, though the gap between the routes was closed four months later. The route was extended north to Jonesboro on July 29, 1976; the same order created the spur route. On June 30, 1983, the route was extended south from Levesque to Wittsburg, along the original 1926 alignment of Highway 163. The extension was made in exchange for decommissioning a segment of Highway 364 at the request of the

county judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

of Cross County.

Major intersections

Mile markers reset at some concurrencies.

Jonesboro spur

Highway 163 Spur (AR 163S, Ark. 163S, Hwy. 163S, and Apt Drive) is a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

in Jonesboro. ;Major intersections

Former route

State Road 163 (AR 163, Ark. 163, and Hwy. 163) is a former state highway of in Cross County, Arkansas. The route began at Wittsburg and ran north to US 64 at Levesque. ;History Highway 163 was created on May 28, 1942. However, the route does not appear on the next statewide map in 1945 nor the Cross County map in 1947. ;Major intersections

Notes

References

* {{refend Arkansas Heritage Trails System Crowley's Ridge Parkway Jonesboro, Arkansas

163 Year 163 ( CLXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laelianus and Pastor (or, less frequently, year 916 '' Ab urbe con ...

Transportation in Craighead County, Arkansas Transportation in Poinsett County, Arkansas Transportation in Cross County, Arkansas