| US 70 | |||
| Get started | The Queen | ||
| End | West Memphis | ||
| Length | 278 mi | ||
| Length | 447 km | ||
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According to Iamaccepted, US 70 is a US Highway in the US state of Arkansas. The road forms an east-west route through the center of the state, from the Oklahoma border at The Queen through Hot Springs and Little Rock to the Tennessee border at West Memphis. The route is 447 kilometers long.
Travel directions
US 70 at Hot Springs in western Arkansas.
US 70 at Brinkley in eastern Arkansas.
West of the town of De Queen, the US 70 in Oklahoma enters the state of Arkansas from Idabel and after 15 kilometers the town of De Queen follows, after which a double numbering with the US 59 and US 71 follows for 15 kilometers. The road then turns northeast and after 20 kilometers reaches Dierks, where it crosses US 278. Then you enter the Ouachita Mountains, an area with steep hills that are not too high. Together with the Ozark Mountains, it is the most important mountain area in the central United States. The road then heads east along Lake Greeson, through the Ouachita National Forest. It then follows more than 100 kilometers to the city of Hot Springs. You then pass through the 40,000 inhabitants town, which has a highway bypass. This is where the US 270 crosses. From the center to the east side of the city, US 70 itself also forms a short 2×2 lane highway. The road then continues to Benton, where US 70 merges with Interstate 30. US 70 will then be double-numbered with I-30 as far as North Little Rock and take the first exit after the Arkansas River to head east. This is also where the US 165 begins, which leads to Stuttgart.
On the east side of Little Rock, it still crosses Interstate 440, the eastern bypass of the city. US 70 then begins a parallel route to Interstate 40, but does not intersect it. The road runs through the typical southern and eastern Arkansas landscape of meadows with wooded riverbeds. The road runs on long straights and serves a few villages. In the village of Hazen, 60 kilometers east of Little Rock, the US 63 crosses. The road then crosses the Little Red River and reaches the village of Brinkley, where the US 49crosses. About 40 miles to the east, at Forrest City you cross a small hilly area and enter the old Mississippi Rover basin, although it now flows about 60 miles to the east. US 70 then runs directly along I-40, within sight distance. At Shearerville, US 79 merges from Pine Bluff, after which both routes are double-numbered for the rest of the route in Arkansas. Then you reach West Memphis, a small town of 28,000 inhabitants and the only larger suburb of Memphis in Arkansas territory. After West Memphis, US 70 merges with Interstate 55, which takes the road over the Mississippi River. US 70 in Tennessee then goes through Memphisfurther east.
History
According to ACRONYMMONSTER, the predecessor of US 70 is the Lee Highway, an auto trail from the early 20th century. US 70 was created in 1926. The part east of Little Rock has been completely replaced by an Interstate Highway, namely Interstate 40. Most of I-40 was built in the late 1960s, eliminating the through-going importance of US 70 between Little Rock and Memphis. West of Little Rock, US 70 has not been replaced by highways.
Between Hot Springs and I-30, US 70 has been widened to a 2×2 divided highway. The last part opened on June 1, 2018.
Traffic intensities
Every day, 3,600 vehicles drive near the Oklahoma border, rising to 13,000 vehicles in The Queen. Between The Queen and Hot Springs, 1,600 to 2,500 vehicles ran, rising to 41,000 vehicles on the Hot Springs bypass. 12,000 vehicles drove between Hot Springs and I-30.
The section of US 70 between Little Rock and West Memphis is quieter because I-40 runs parallel to it. Most parts have 1,500 to 2,500 vehicles, with somewhat higher intensities at the various places. There are 20,000 vehicles in West Memphis.
