Arkansas Highway 2 Explained

State:	AR
Type:	AR 1926
Route:	2
Maint:	AHD
Map:	US 82 (AR) map.svg
Formed:	1926
Deleted:	July 1, 1931^[1]
Length Mi:	195
Length Ref:	^[2]
Direction A:	West
Terminus A:	in Texarkana
Junction:	in Magnolia in El Dorado in Montrose in Lake Village
Direction B:	East
Terminus B:	at the Mississippi River
Counties:	Ashley, Chicot, Columbia, Lafayette, Miller, Union
Previous Type:	AR
Previous Route:	1
Next Type:	AR 1926
Next Route:	3

State Road 2 (AR 2, Ark. 2, and Hwy. 2) is a former east–west state highway in the Arkansas Timberlands and Lower Arkansas Delta. The route was approximately 195miles, and ran from US Route 67 (US 67) in Texarkana east to cross the Mississippi River near Lake Village, continuing as Mississippi Highway 10. On July 1, 1931, the route was entirely replaced by US Highway 82 (US 82) by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO). The route was maintained by the Arkansas Highway Department (AHD), now known as the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Except near cities, the current US 82 closely follows the original 1926 routing. One section of State Road 2 original pavement, known as the Old Arkansas 2-Mayton Segment, survives north of Garland. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 16, 2008.

Route description

The route served the southern tier of counties in Arkansas, connecting several cities of regional importance. State Road 2 connected six county seats and included three toll bridges. State Road 2 also provided an important connection between the Arkansas Timberlands, approximately the western half of its Arkansas alignment, and the Arkansas Delta on the eastern half of the state.

History

Several bypasses have been built since the original 1926 routing following the growth of the cities it passes through.

• Garland was bypassed in the 1980s by a new bridge over the Red River; the western part of old Highway 2 (from modern U.S. 82 into Garland) is now Highway 134.
• North of Garland, an S-shaped section of the highway was replaced with a new alignment in 1948, smoothing out the sharp curves. The old alignment, now part of County Roads 122 and 123, and one of the drivable sections of AR 2's original pavement, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Old Arkansas 2-Mayton Segment" in 2008.^[3]
• East of Lake Village, U.S. 82 (Highway 2) turned northeast along Lake Chicot to the old ferry crossing near Greenville, Mississippi; that alignment is now Highway 144 from Lake Village past Lake Chicot State Park to its end at the Mississippi River levee.^[4] U.S. 82 was rerouted south of Lake Chicot when the Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge opened in 1940, and retained most of that alignment for the current Greenville Bridge.

See also

• Red River Bridge (Arkansas)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Miller County, Arkansas

Notes and References

1. Web site: U.S. 82 . Highway History . . November 18, 2015 . December 11, 2016 .
2. Official Highway Service Map . TIF . Little Rock, Arkansas . William H. Moore . 1932 . November 25, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111013004413/http://www.arkansashighways.com/planning_research/mapping_graphics/archived_tourist_maps/1932.tif . October 13, 2011 .
3. Web site: NRHP nomination for Old Arkansas 2-Mayton Segment . Arkansas Preservation . 2014-10-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141017191131/http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/%21userfiles/MI0241.nr.pdf . 2014-10-17 .
4. Arkansas State Highway Commission . General Highway and Transportation Map, Chicot County, Arkansas . TIF . 1:62500 . 1936 . November 25, 2011 .