Arkansas Highway 59 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 ...
in
Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozark Mountains. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville, the surrounding towns of Benton an ...
. The route runs from
Arkansas Highway 22
Highway 22 (AR 22, Ark. 22, and Hwy. 22) is an east–west state highway in the Arkansas River Valley. It is maintained by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD). The highway runs from US 64/ US 71B east to ...
in
Barling north to the
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 ...
state line through
Van Buren, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Crawford County.
Highway 59 parallels
US 59
U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...
(in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
) between
Siloam Springs
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city shares a border on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line with the city of West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, which is within the Cherokee Nation territory. The town was founded i ...
and
Fort Smith. Since US 59 goes through Arkansas, AR 59 is the only Arkansas state highway to share its numbering with a federal highway that goes through Arkansas.
Route description
The route begins in
Barling at
AR 22
Highway 22 (AR 22, Ark. 22, and Hwy. 22) is an east–west state highway in the Arkansas River Valley. It is maintained by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD). The highway runs from US 64/ US 71B east to ...
.
The route runs north to enter
Van Buren, crossing
I-540 and briefly
concurring
In law, a concurring opinion is in certain legal systems a written opinion by one or more judges of a court which agrees with the decision made by the majority of the court, but states different (or additional) reasons as the basis for their deci ...
with
US 64
U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...
. The concurrency begins near the
Joseph Starr Dunham House and before crossing
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
.
The route exits town northbound, intersecting rural highways
AR 162 and
AR 220 in
Cedarville and crossing Lee Creek on the historic
Lee Creek Bridge. At this time, AR 59 is running through the
Boston Mountains
The Boston Mountains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Part of the Ozarks, the Boston Mountains are a deeply dissected plateau. The ecoregion is steeper ...
subdivision of
The Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant portio ...
. North of Cedarville, AR 59 curves west toward
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, coming within of the border.
Entering
Washington County, the route meets
Arkansas Highway 156
Highway 156 (AR 156, Ark. 156, and Hwy. 156) is a designation for three east–west state highways in Washington County, Arkansas. The first segment was created in 1937, with two more created in 1973. All are minor state highways established to pro ...
in
Evansville
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...
and
AR 244 in
Tofu
Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super firm ...
.
The route continues north to
Dutch Mills and
Summers before entering
Siloam Springs
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city shares a border on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line with the city of West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, which is within the Cherokee Nation territory. The town was founded i ...
.
Upon entering
Benton County, AR 59 concurs with
US 412
U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of the ...
east around the southeast edge of Siloam Springs. The concurrency ends and AR 59 continues north to
Gentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest ...
. AR 59 passes near
Kansas City-Southern Railway cars and
Kansas City-Southern Depot in
Decatur. The route continues north to
AR 72
Highway 72 (AR 72, Ark. 72, and Hwy. 72) is a designation for two east–west List of Arkansas state highways, state highways in Benton County, Arkansas. A western route of runs east from Arkansas Highway 43, Highway 43 at Maysville, Arkansa ...
and the
Kansas City Southern Railway Caboose No. 383 in
Gravette. The highway runs further north to
Wee Pine Knot, the
Adar House, and Butler Creek Cemetery in
Sulphur Springs
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...
. AR 59 meets
Missouri Route 59
Route 59 is a highway in southwest Missouri running from Interstate 44/Interstate 49/U.S. Route 71 at Fidelity to the Arkansas state line where it continues as Highway 59. It replaced a large section of U.S. Route 71 and Alternate US 71 in sec ...
at the
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 ...
state line and terminates.
History
When Arkansas established its
first numbered state highway system in 1926, Arkansas Highway 59 was designated for a route that led from the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
state line to
Eudora. The
South Arkansas
South Arkansas lies within the southernmost portions of Arkansas Gulf Coastal Plain and Delta regions. It encompasses the lower 15 counties of the state.
History
In the 1920s, nationwide attention focused on South Arkansas when the Smackover F ...
route later became
AR 159, and the 59 number moved to
northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozark Mountains. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville, the surrounding towns of Benton an ...
. In 1936, AR 59 traveled from Van Buren north to
Siloam Springs
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city shares a border on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line with the city of West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, which is within the Cherokee Nation territory. The town was founded i ...
. From
AR 72 at
Gravette, north to the Missouri state line, AR 59 is the original alignment of
US 71. The roadway continues north into
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 ...
as
Missouri Route 59
Route 59 is a highway in southwest Missouri running from Interstate 44/Interstate 49/U.S. Route 71 at Fidelity to the Arkansas state line where it continues as Highway 59. It replaced a large section of U.S. Route 71 and Alternate US 71 in sec ...
.
The route was widened by the
AHTD
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 ...
in 2007 around Siloam Springs.
["Annual Report - 2007". ATHD]
Publication.
Retrieved on March 2, 2009.
Major intersections
Special routes
AR 59 has two
special route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the Int ...
s, both in
Gentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest ...
.
Gentry business route
Arkansas Highway 59 Business is a
business route
A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...
in
Gentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest ...
.
Gentry spur
Arkansas Highway 59 Spur 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
Gentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest ...
.
See also
References
External links
{{commons category-inline, Arkansas Highway 59
059
Transportation in Sebastian County, Arkansas
Transportation in Crawford County, Arkansas
Transportation in Washington County, Arkansas
Transportation in Benton County, Arkansas
U.S. Route 71
Siloam Springs, Arkansas