Arkansas Highway 164 Explained

State:AR
Type:AR
Route:164
Length Mi1:13.289
Length Ref1:[1]
Established:[2] [3]
Direction A1:West
Terminus A1: in Coal Hill
Direction B1:East
Length Mi2:13.127
Length Ref2:[4]
Direction A2:West
Terminus A2: in Clarksville
Direction B2:East
Length Mi3:1.793
Direction A3:West
Terminus A3: at Scottsville
Direction B3:East
Terminus B3:/Broomfield Road
Length Mi4:9.814
Direction A4:West
Terminus A4: in Dover
Direction B4:East
Terminus B4: at Oak Grove
Counties:Johnson, Pope
Previous Type:AR
Previous Route:163
Next Type:US
Next Route:165

Highway 164 (AR 164, Ark. 164, and Hwy. 164) is a designation for four segments of state highway in the Arkansas River Valley. Each are low-volume local roads providing connectivity to small communities, or recreation areas near the Ozark National Forest. The first segment was created in 1945, with the remaining segments created during the late 1950s and 1960s, a period of major Arkansas Highway System expansion. A single spur route provides access to an industrial area in Clarksville. All routes are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Route description

ArDOT maintains the four segments of AR 164 as part of the state highway system. Excluding concurrencies, no section of AR 164 exceeded 1,000 vehicles per day on average in 2020, with a low of 400 VPD between Hagarville and Bullfrog Valley.[5] For reference, roads under 400 VPD are classified as "very low volume local road" by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).[6]

No segment of AR 164 is part of the National Highway System (NHS),[7] a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.[8]

Coal Hill to Highway 103

Highway 164 begins at US 64 in Coal Hill, a small town within the Arkansas River Valley region approximately 2.5miles north of the Arkansas River. The highway runs due north as a section line road and is signed as a north-south highway, despite Arkansas assigning even route numbers to east-west highways.AR 164 passes Westside High School before exiting the city on a winding northward alignment. At an unincorporated area known as Center Point, AR 164 intersects Interstate 40 (I-40) at a partial cloverleaf interchange. North of this junction, AR 164 has a brief concurrency with AR 352 before passing the Horsehead Lake Recreation Area and curving eastward near the southern boundary of the Ozark National Forest. Now signed as an east-west highway, AR 164 continues east to a junction with AR 103 near Harmony, where it terminates.[9]

Clarksville to Highway 7

A second segment of AR 164 begins along the northern city limits of Clarksville, the county seat of Johnson County. Beginning at a junction with AR 21 (Ludwig Road), AR 164 runs east as Airport Road, serving as the northern terminus of Highway 164 Spur (AR 164S, Scoggins Road) and running along the north edge of the Clarksville Municipal Airport.[10] North of Lamar, AR 164 begins a concurrency with AR 123 north to Hagarville. After the concurrency ends, AR 164 continues into Pope County.

AR 164 passes through the unincorporated area known as Bullfrog Valley just south of the Ozark National Forest and Piney Creeks Wildlife Management Area (WMA) boundaries before turning south and crossing Big Piney Creek.The highway winds south to a junction with AR 7, where it terminates approximately 5miles north of Dover.[11]

Highway 27 to Ozark National Forest

A third segment of AR 164 begins at AR 27 northeast of Dover at the unincorporated community of Scottsville in central Pope County. The route runs north across Illinois Bayou to a rural intersection with Broomfield Road, a county road, just south of the Ozark National Forest boundary. The roadway continues north as Forest Service Road 1001 (FR 1001).[12]

Dover to Oak Grove

The fourth segment of AR 164 begins in downtown Dover at AR 7 (Market Street/Scenic 7 Byway). AR 164 begins due east as Water Street, curves south around three churches, and exits the city heading east.[13] AR 164 runs east through rural Pope County to Moreland, where it intersects AR 124. Continuing east, AR 164 intersects AR 105 at Oak Grove, where it terminates.

History

The first designation of AR 164 appeared on the 1945 state highway map north of Clarksville between AR 21 and AR 123.[2] [3] The Arkansas General Assembly passed the Act 148 of 1957, the Milum Road Act, creating 10–12 miles (16–19 km) of new state highways in each county.[14] In response to the act, the Arkansas State Highway Commission extended the designation east to AR 7, and created a second segment of AR 164 between AR 103 and Horsehead Lake on July 10, 1957.[15] Two new AR 164 segments were created during another system expansion on April 24, 1963; between AR 27 in Dover and AR 105 and north from Scottsville.[16] The following year, AR 164 was rerouted in Dover along Water Street on January 15, 1964 to avoid expensive bridge construction needed to raise Maple Street to state highway standards, thus changing the western terminus from AR 27 to AR 7.[17]

On February 28, 1968, a fifth segment of AR 164 was created between Coal Hill and I-40 as part of an addition of state highways between US Routes used for interstate travel and the newly completed Interstate highways.[18] The gap between I-40 and Horsehead Lake was closed on December 13, 1972, yielding the four segments in existence today.[19] The Scottsville segment was extended north to the current junction on May 23, 1973 pursuant to Act 9 of 1973,[20] which directed county judges and legislators to designate up to 12miles of county roads as state highways in each county.

Major intersections

Mile markers reset at some concurrencies.

Clarksville spur

State:AR
Type:AR-Spur
Route:164
Scoggins Street
Location:Clarksville
Established:September 17, 1980[21]
Length Mi:0.142

Highway 164 Spur (AR 164S, Ark. 164S, and Hwy. 164S) is a spur route in Clarksville. It is known as Scoggins Street and serves an industrial area near Clarksville Municipal Airport. The highway was created on September 17, 1980. In 2019, the highway saw 100 vehicles per day on average, with 16% being trucks.

Major intersections

Notes and References

  1. ((Transportation Planning and Policy Division)) . Arkansas Department of Transportation . State Highway Route and Section Map, Johnson County, Arkansas . Little Rock . September 17, 2021 . 1:62,500 . March 5, 2022 .
  2. 1942. March 6, 2022.
  3. 1945. March 6, 2022.
  4. ((Transportation Planning and Policy Division)) . Arkansas Department of Transportation . State Highway Route and Section Map, Pope County, Arkansas . Little Rock . September 17, 2021 . 1:62,500 . March 5, 2022 .
  5. System Information & Research Division . Arkansas Department of Transportation . Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates . 2019 . January 27, 2022 .
  6. Book: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials . Guidelines for Geometric Design of Low-Volume Roads . American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials . 2019 . 2nd . Washington, DC . 2-8 . 1140203768 . 978-1-56051-726-9 .
  7. Web site: Arkansas Road Log Database . System Information and Research Division . 2016 . Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department . MDB . June 13, 2017 . August 29, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170829203521/http://www.arkansashighways.com/System_Info_and_Research/traffic_info/databases/Road%20Log%20Database.zip . dead .
  8. Web site: Stefan . Natzke . Mike . Neathery . Kevin . Adderly . What is the National Highway System? . National Highway System . . June 29, 2017 . July 15, 2018 . amp .
  9. Planning and Research Division . Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department . General Highway Map, Johnson County, Arkansas . Little Rock . PDF . January 23, 2012 . April 10, 2002 . 1:62500 . Revised . 913579244 . March 5, 2022 .
  10. ((Transportation Planning and Policy Division)) . B7 . Arkansas Department of Transportation . Map of Clarksville, Johnson County, Arkansas . Little Rock . April 2019 . 1:62,500 . March 5, 2022 .
  11. ((Transportation Planning and Policy Division)) . Arkansas Department of Transportation . General Highway Map, Pope County, Arkansas . Little Rock . PDF . August 21, 2017 . June 19, 2007 . 1:62500 . Revised . 918569164 . March 5, 2022 .
  12. DeLorme . Arkansas Atlas & Gazetteer . Yarmouth, Maine . Fifth . 46 . 2018 . 1:127,000 . 9781946494207 . 1066245581 .
  13. Planning and Research Division . B3 . Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department . Map of Dover, Pope County, Arkansas . Little Rock . September 2011 . 1:62,500 . March 6, 2022 .
  14. Web site: Development of Highway and Transportation Legislation in Arkansas . A Review of the Acts Relative to Administering and Financing Highways and Transportation in Arkansas . 1 . Arkansas Department of Transportation . Little Rock . Governmental Relations Office . 2018 . August 7, 2021 .
  15. Web site: Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission . 1953–1969 . Arkansas State Highway Commission . Little Rock . March 6, 2022 . 21798861 . 1787 . .
  16. .
  17. .
  18. .
  19. Web site: Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission . 1970–1979 . Arkansas State Highway Commission . Little Rock . March 6, 2022 . 21798861 . 1416 . .
  20. .
  21. Web site: Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission . 1980–1989 . Arkansas State Highway Commission . Little Rock . March 6, 2022 . 21798861 . 94 .