The construction of Interstate 69 through southeast Arkansas is not a forgotten dream.
Outgoing Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lorie Tudor said Monday a project to construct a portion of I-69 from the Monticello bypass to McGehee is underway. Highway officials have planned for the road to connect from Houston through southeast Arkansas to Memphis.
The section between the Monticello Bypass between U.S. 425 and 278 east of Monticello is officially listed as the Future I-69, according to ArDOT media communications manager Ellen Coulter. The second leg is being constructed from U.S. 278 from the bypass west to Arkansas 293 near Selma, and the third leg is planned from there to U.S. 65 north of McGehee.
A new river bridge is planned to be built outside of Arkansas City as part of the project, but ArDOT officials are still awaiting federal funding for the project.
When I-69 through southeast Arkansas would be complete remains to be determined, said Tudor, who announced last week her retirement effective Jan. 10.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“The reason we’re stopping in McGehee is that’s a segment of independent utility,” Tudor said. “From McGehee to build the bridge over the Mississippi River is like a $2 billion project, and Mississippi is going to have to find the funding and we are, too. That’s a big, critical thing for us to see that come to fruition. We’re building little segments as we go.”
Once it becomes fully connected, I-69 is expected to improve the transportation infrastructure south of Memphis and give Arkansas a fifth vehicle bridge over the Mississippi River. The bridges at Helena-West Helena and Chicot County are about 120 miles apart. Pieces of I-69 exist along a corridor from Port Huron, Mich., through Indianapolis and Memphis to Laredo, Texas.
“It fills in that gap, and it needs that other crossing over into Mississippi,” Tudor said. “I-69 has been a dream for at least 25 years.”
Tudor spoke about I-69 at an ArDOT District 2 Service Awards program at the White Hall Community Center. She added the Arkansas 83 Spur that broke ground in July 2023 is nearing completion sometime in 2025. The $30 million project extends the current spur north to U.S. 278.
“I think it’s going really well,” Tudor said. “It’s going to be tremendous as far as connectivity for that area of Monticello. It’s going to be a really great project and a partnering project because the city of Monticello partnered with us to expedite that and make that a reality.”
Many ArDOT employees in District 2, which mostly covers southeast Arkansas, received awards for their longevity in service or commitment to safety.
Janet Bogle, who supervises the Stuttgart area maintenance crew, received the Director’s Diamond Award.
“I was very surprised,” Bogle said, to win the award. “I feel very blessed.”
Bogle has worked in ArDOT since 1987.
Other award winners included:
Service Awards: Greg Loomis (40 years), Sharon Hooks (35 years), Travis Bell (30 years), Chris Penny (30 years), Walter “Tony” Diamond (25 years), Royce Edmondson (25 years), Chris Hendricks (25 years), Bryan Swinney (25 years), Todd Tooke (25 years), Shamae Willard (25 years).
Ambassador Awards: Felecia Kimble (31 years), Edgar “Darrell” Smith (18 years).
Safety Awards: Dimitri Anderson, DeWitt crew; Clifton Brown, district shop; Fate Canady, district maintenance; Diamond, McGehee; John Harvey, Star City; Scott Paty, Sheridan; Chris Penny, district bridge crew; Cade Phillips, district sign crew; and Christie Williams, Stuttgart.
Leadership Safety Award: David Waters (posthumously).
Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lorie Tudor makes comments at the White Hall Community Center for the District 2 Service Awards. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)