Highway 81 (AR 81, Ark. 81, and Hwy. 81) 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 ...
s in
Jefferson County, Arkansas. The highway begins at an intersection with
US Highway 65 (US 65) and
US 425 and runs to
US 63/
US 79. The designation also includes 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 ...
, Highway 81 Spur, created in 2005. Both highways are maintained by the
Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).
The Highway 81 designation has also been used for a former highway in Arkansas. A route between
Arkansas City and
Rohwer held the Highway 81 designation between 1926 and 1929. The designation was reused in 1945 to replace Highway 13 between
Louisiana and US 65 east of Pine Bluff (present-day US 425).
Route description
The route begins at an intersection with
US 65 and the northern terminus of
US 425
U.S. Route 425 (US 425) is a north–south United States highway that travels in the U.S. states of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. It was first commissioned in 1989.
The route's northern terminus is in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, at a ...
just east of Pine Bluff. Highway 81 runs due north as a
section line road In many jurisdictions in the United States, roads run along every section line, giving access to previously remote areas and serving in many instances as firebreaks. A road or arterial in which the centerline is laid out along a section line bounda ...
to an intersection with Highway 81S, when it turns due west and the road continues north as Highway 81S for another to serve the paper plant. After running briefly west, Highway 81 intersects US 63/US 79 and terminates.
History
Highway 81 was first designated during the
1926 Arkansas state highway numbering
In 1926, Arkansas renumbered its highways into a more traditional format. The system to be replaced was established in 1924 as Arkansas' first comprehensive highway plan.McLaren, Christie. "Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910-1965.Art ...
in
Desha County
Desha County ( ) is a county located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of Arkansas, with its eastern border the Mississippi River. At the 2010 census, the population was 13,008. It ranks 56th of Arkansas's 75 counties in terms of populati ...
,
but this route was supplanted by
Highway 4 in 1929.
The designation was revived in 1945, when it supplanted
Highway 13 between
Louisiana and US 65 in Pine Bluff.
The highway was extended north (along its current routing) to an
International Paper plant on February 20, 1957. Other than a realignment for a bypass in Monticello in 1960, the route remained unchanged until November 16, 1988, when the AHTD and the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain management, port facili ...
(LADOTD) proposed supplanting Highway 81 and
Louisiana Highway 139
Louisiana Highway 139 (LA 139) is a state highway located in northeastern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from U.S. Highway 80 (US 80) in Monroe to the junction of US 165, US 425, LA 2, and LA 5 ...
with a new route,
US 425. This route was approved by the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), renumbering the entire route except the short portion north of US 65 to the paper plant.
Following construction of Lock and Dam No. 4 on the
Arkansas River, the
Arkansas State Highway Commission desired a connection to the new location
Highway 13 (now US 63/US 79, the current northern terminus). An extension of Highway 81 was created on July 13, 1994.
[.] Highway 81 was realigned to US 63/US 79 and Highway 81S was created off the former alignment to continue serving the paper plant on November 9, 2005.
[.]
Major intersections
See also
References
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External links
{{commons category-inline, Arkansas Highway 81
081
Transportation in Jefferson County, Arkansas