Interstate 630

From the AARoads Wiki: Read about the road before you go
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Interstate 630

Eisenhower Memorial Highway
I-630 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-30
Maintained by ArDOT
Length7.40 mi[1] (11.91 km)
ExistedSeptember 30, 1985[2]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-430 / Chenal Parkway in Little Rock
Major intersections
East end I-30 / US 65 / US 67 / US 167 in Little Rock
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountiesPulaski
Highway system
AR 612 AR 818

Interstate 630 (I-630) in Arkansas is an east–west connector within Little Rock. It is also known as the Wilbur D. Mills Freeway and starts at I-30, U.S. Highway 65 (US 65), US 67, and US 167, traveling west through downtown Little Rock to I-430 and Chenal Parkway.[2][3]

History

The project was first conceived in the 1930s and was first planned by the Pulaski County Planning Board in their 1941 report.[4] After having many higher powers deny their plans, construction was started by the city of Little Rock in the 1960s as the east–west Expressway or 8th Street Expressway and was not originally an Interstate or an Arkansas state highway.[2] In the 1970s, US Rep. Wilbur D. Mills was responsible for the route's addition to the Interstate System by rounding down the mileage allocations of all other states, then adding the rounding differences to Arkansas's total; this kept the total nationwide allocation within the original limit of 42,500 miles (68,400 km).[2]

After it was added to the Interstate System, Little Rock initially renamed it for Mills; however, when the Arkansas State Highway Department (AHTD) formally brought it into the state highway system as required by Arkansas law, they removed the name, as their policy at the time prohibited the naming of state highways after individuals. AHTD later changed its policy and readopted the Mills name early in the new millennium. As of autumn 2019, the highway is now named "Gold Star Families Memorial Highway".

The highway connects burgeoning West Little Rock to the downtown core.[5] It feeds into I-430, a north–south route which serves western Little Rock.[2]

Exit list

The entire route is in Little Rock, Pulaski County.

mi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
7.4011.91Chenal ParkwayContinuation west
8CShackleford Road / Markham StreetExit number only signed at gore; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
8B-A I-430Signed as exits 8B (north) and 8A (south); westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-430 exit 6A
6.8210.987 Baptist Health DriveWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; access to Baptist Health Medical Center – Little Rock
6.2510.066BBarrow Road
5.809.336ARodney Parham Road / Mississippi Avenue
5.488.825University AvenueSigned as exits 5B (south) and 5A (north) westbound
5.008.054Fair Park Boulevard
3.806.123BPine Street / Cedar Street
2.433.913AWoodrow Street
1.452.332BDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive / Marshall Street
1.101.772AChester Street
0.741.191B US 70 (Broadway Street) / Center StreetUS 70 not signed
0.460.741AMain Street / Center Street
0.000.00115th StreetEastbound left exit and westbound entrance
139 I-30 / US 65 / US 67 / US 167 – North Little Rock, TexarkanaEastern terminus; signed as exits 139A (east) and 139B (west); exit nos. correspond to I-30; I-30 exit 139B
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b Planning and Research Division (2010). "Arkansas Road Log Database". Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (Database) on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bill Stanton, ed. (Winter 1985). "Final Section of I-630 opens in Little Rock" (PDF). Arkansas Highways. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 31: 8. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. ^ Route and Section Map, Pulaski County Supplemental Sheet (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. ^ Bill Stanton, ed. (1985). "I-630 History: "A dream becomes a reality"". Arkansas Highways (PDF). Vol. 31 (Winter ed.). Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. p. 10. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  5. ^ "Wilbur Mills' wall - Arkansas Times". 26 January 2011.