Arkansas Highway 96

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Highway 96

AR 96 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
ExistedApril 1, 1926[1]–present
Section 1
Length38.177 mi[2][3] (61.440 km)
West end AR 10 in Greenwood
East end AR 23
Section 2
Length12.911 mi[2] (20.778 km)
West end SH-83 at the Oklahoma state line
East end US 71 in Mansfield
Section 3
Length1.832 mi[3] (2.948 km)
West end AR 23 in Ozark
East end AR 219 in Ozark
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountiesSebastian, Scott, Franklin
Highway system
← AR 95→ AR 97

Highway 96 (AR 96) is a designation for three east–west state highways in the Arkansas River Valley. One segment provides connectivity between Oklahoma State Highway 83 (SH-83) and Mansfield through the small town of Hartford. The second segment provides connectivity through a rural area between Greenwood and Ozark. A third segment provides cross-town connectivity in Ozark.

The designation was created during the original 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering as a connection near Greenwood, but was extended in 1929, 1936, and 1940. The second segment replaced the southern ends of AR 23 and AR 45 with a single designation in 1940 and was partially rerouted in 1960. The third segment was renumbered from AR 309 in 1991. Between Hartford and Mansfield, the highway is designated as part of the West–Northwest Scenic Byway. All three routes are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Route description

The ArDOT maintains AR 96 like all other parts of the state highway system. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic using its roads in surveys using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). ArDOT estimates the traffic level for a segment of roadway for any average day of the year in these surveys. As of 2023, traffic ranged from 5,000 VPD in Mansfield to 670 VPD west of Hartford on the western segment. On the central segment, traffic peaked at 4,000 in Lavaca, dropping to 3,300 toward Greenwood and as low as 170 VPD around the Sebastian-Franklin county line. The Ozark segment carried 1,800 VPD.[4] For reference, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), classifies roads with fewer than 400 vehicles per day as a very low volume local road.[5]

No segment of AR 96 is part of the National Highway System (NHS),[6] a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.[7]

Oklahoma to Mansfield

The southernmost segment of AR 96 begins at the Oklahoma state line south of Fort Smith in the Arkansas River Valley region. Entering the state as Oklahoma State Highway 83 (SH-83), AR 96 runs east across Sugar Creek before entering the small town of Hartford. The route runs east as Ludlow Street, intersecting West Hartford Road (former AR 45) and passing the former Hartford High School before turning north and becoming Broadway and passing the Hartford Commercial Historic District.[8] After three blocks, AR 96 turns onto 2nd Street and passes the Hartford Water Tower[9] to serve as the southern terminus of AR 45.[10] Continuing east, AR 96 passes through a rural part of Sebastian County, crossing James Fork before reaching the city limits of Mansfield. Once in Mansfield, AR 96 becomes Howard Street, crosses Cherokee Creek, and serves as the northern terminus of AR 378 (Main Avenue).[11] Continuing east, AR 96 passes through downtown Mansfield and enters Scott County east of the Sebascott Avenue intersection. AR 96 turns north onto Huntington Avenue, crossing over Coop Creek before terminating at a junction with U.S. Route 71 (US 71).[12][13]

Greenwood to Ozark

A second segment of AR 96 begins at a junction with AR 10 (Center Street) in Greenwood, the small town county seat of the southern district of Sebastian County.[11] The route runs north through a residential section of Greenwood before entering Fort Chaffee.[14] AR 96 intersects AR 22, which serves as the northern boundary of Fort Chaffee, curving east into Lavaca. AR 96 intersects and briefly overlaps with AR 255 (Main Street) through downtown Lavaca. At Division Street, AR 255 turns south, with AR 96 continuing east as Main Street. Two blocks later, AR 96 serves as the southern terminus of AR 253. Exiting the city to the east,[15] AR 96 turns north toward the Arkansas River. The highway crosses Doctor's Creek, serves as he northern terminus of AR 217, crosses Onion Creek, serves as the western terminus of AR 252, and winds into Franklin County.[11] AR 96 runs parallel to the Arkansas River, serving as the northern terminus for AR 217 and intersecting AR 41 at Cecil. Continuing east, AR 96 terminates at a junction with AR 23 in a rural area south of Ozark.[16]

Ozark-Franklin County Airport

Westbound in Ozark, Arkansas

A third segment of AR 96 begins at AR 23 (18th Street) in Ozark. The designation runs east along Airport Road along the southern side of the Ozark-Franklin County Airport. The route intersects AR 219 (3rd Street) and terminates just south of a junction with Interstate 40 (I-40).[17] The route does not intersect any other state highways.[16]

History

AR 96 was created during the 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering as a connector route between State Road 10 in Greenwood and State Road 22 at Bloomer.[1] In 1929, the route was extended east to Ursula, with an extension to Island also designated as part of AR 96.[18] The AR 96 designation was extended to AR 22 in Charleston on the 1936 map.[19] By the 1940 map, the highway was rerouted; the segment east of Lavaca to Charleston was deleted, and the route was extended to a new eastern terminus at AR 23 south of Ozark.[a]

A second segment of AR 96 was signed between Oklahoma and Mansfield in 1941. This designation replaced AR 45 between Oklahoma and Hartford, and AR 23 from Hartford to Mansfield. In 1960, the Arkansas State Highway Commission re-routed AR 96 along a Works Progress Administration roadway between Hartford and the state line.[22]

The third segment of highway was added to the state highway system as Highway 309 along a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) access road to the Ozark Municipal Airport by the Commission on March 26, 1975.[23] The Commission requested a study regarding extending the route east to AR 219 on July 31, 1975,[24] and requested an update to that study on March 22, 1978.[25] Although the Commission requested the study's findings be reported at a later meeting, no record of the report's findings exist in subsequent meeting minutes between 1978 and June 1, 1991, when the Commission authorized the extension to AR 219.[26] Three months later, the Commission redesignated the highway as AR 96 due to confusion between the two eastbound routes with junctions on Highway 23 within a few miles of each other.[27]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[28][2][3]kmDestinationsNotes
Arkansas–Oklahoma state line0.0000.000 SH-83 continues west into Oklahoma
SebastianHartford3.836.16West Hartford Road south – West HartfordFormer AR 45
5.098.19 AR 45 – Fort SmithAR 45 southern terminus
Mansfield12.4019.96
 AR 378 east (Main Avenue)		AR 378 western terminus
Scott12.91120.778 US 71 – Fort Smith, WaldronEastern terminus
Gap in route
SebastianGreenwood0.0000.000 AR 10 (Center Street) – BoonevilleWestern terminus
Fort Chaffee8.34113.424 AR 22 – Charleston, Fort Smith
Lavaca10.3416.64
 AR 255 north (Main Street)		Begin AR 255 overlap
10.7217.25
 AR 255 south (Division Street)		End AR 255 overlap
10.9417.61
 AR 253 north		AR 253 southern terminus
​16.0525.83
 AR 217 south – Charleston		AR 217 northern terminus
​18.1229.16
 AR 252 east		AR 252 western terminus
Franklin​24.8439.98
 AR 215 south – Charleston		AR 215 northern terminus
Cecil31.2450.28 AR 41
​38.17761.440 AR 23 – Booneville, OzarkEastern terminus
Gap in route
Ozark0.0000.000
 AR 23 north (18th Street)		Western terminus
1.8322.948 AR 219 (3rd Street)Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Notes

  1. ^ Map note: "Relocated 96 Lavaca south & north"[20] It is confirmed on the 1940 map.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b Arkansas State Highway Department (April 1, 1926). State of Arkansas Showing System of State Highways (TIF) (Map). 1:500,000. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Arkansas GIS Office.
  2. ^ a b c Transportation Planning and Policy Division (January 19, 2023). Route and Section Map, Sebastian County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Transportation Planning and Policy Division (September 17, 2021). Route and Section Map, Franklin County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  4. ^ System Information & Research Division (2022). Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates (GIS Map) (Map). Various. Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Staff of AASHTO (2019). Guidelines for Geometric Design of Low-Volume Roads (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 2-8. ISBN 978-1-56051-726-9. OCLC 1140203768.
  6. ^ System Information and Research Division (2015). "Arkansas Road Log Database" (MDB). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  7. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 29, 2017). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  8. ^ "National Register Information System – Hartford Commercial Historic District (#09000514)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "National Register Information System – Hartford Water Tower (#07001434)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Transportation Planning and Policy Division (September 2015). Map of Hartford, Sebastian County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:12,000. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Transportation Planning and Policy Division (January 5, 2023) [January 22, 2013]. General Highway Map, Sebastian County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 919149397. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Transportation Planning and Policy Division (October 2017). Map of Mansfield, Scott and Sebastian County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:12,000. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Planning and Research Division (February 2013). General Highway Map, Scott County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 919003283. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Planning Division (March 2024). Map of Greenwood, Sebastian County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:12,000. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. § D6. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Transportation Planning and Policy Division (March 2024). Map of Central City and Lavaca, Sebastian County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:12,000. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. §§ C7, C8. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Transportation Planning and Policy Division (April 18, 2011) [January 10, 2002]. General Highway Map, Franklin County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 911290506. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  17. ^ Transportation Planning and Policy Division (January 2020). Map of Ozark, Franklin County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:12,000. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. §§ C4, B6. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  18. ^ Arkansas State Highway Commission (September 1, 1929). State of Arkansas Showing Types of Roads (TIF) (Map). Scale not given. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Arkansas GIS Office.
  19. ^ Arkansas State Highway Commission (1936). Official Highway Service Map (TIF) (Map). Scale not given. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Arkansas GIS Office.
  20. ^ State Highway Department (July 1, 1935) [January 1, 1925]. Sebastian County Showing Arkansas System of State Highways (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). Little Rock. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Arkansas State Highway Commission (1940). Map of the State Highway System of Arkansas (TIF) (Map). Scale not given. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Arkansas GIS Office.
  22. ^ "Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission" (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. 1953–1969. pp. 1358–1359. OCLC 21798861. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission" (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. 1970–1979. p. 789. OCLC 21798861. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  24. ^ "Minutes" (1970–1979), p. 874.
  25. ^ "Minutes" (1970–1979), p. 249.
  26. ^ "Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission" (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. 1990–1999. p. 142. OCLC 21798861. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  27. ^ "Minutes" (1990–1999), p. 173.
  28. ^ Arkansas Centerline File (GIS Map) (Map) (Updated ed.). Various. Arkansas GIS Office. January 22, 2024 [September 29, 2014]. Retrieved March 14, 2024.

External links

Media related to Arkansas Highway 96 at Wikimedia Commons

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