NEWPORT — Efforts are underway to one day give a portion of U.S. 67 federal interstate designation.
In April, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, introduced a provision to the Fiscal Year 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill that would designate U.S. 67 from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge as “Future Interstate 57,” according to a news release.
Interstate 57 travels from southeast Missouri north to Chicago.
The Newport Economic Development Commission supports efforts to give the nearby highway the designation. Jon Chadwell, executive director of the commission, said U.S. 67 already has the qualities of an interstate and that the designation would continue to attract businesses to the Newport area.
“As it is now, [U.S. 67] gives us great four-lane highway access in and out of our region,” he said. “It’s already to interstate-quality standards. We have a good, reliable [highway], basically an interstate without the designation.”
As executive director, Chadwell oversees business recruitment and business retention to Newport. Certain rules that federal interstates must have, such as no bicyclists, exist for U.S. 67, he said.
“The reason the designation is so important is not necessarily for the businesses that are already in the region, but for when we’re recruiting businesses,” he said.
On a request-for-proposal form, which a company sends to the commission when searching for a new city in which to locate a business, there is a space on the document that asks how far the city is from the nearest interstate. A request-for-proposal form only allows enough space to enter a certain number of miles and doesn’t allow the commission to explain that U.S. 67 is an interstate-quality highway that isn’t far away from Newport, Chadwell said.
“We have to write that we’re 65 or 70 miles away from an interstate, where in reality, there’s one a mile away from the site,” he said. “In other towns like Searcy, it’s the same thing.”
Chadwell said traffic on U.S. 67 has increased over the past few years.
“Coming up through Newport has become the preferred route to Jonesboro,” he said.
Jonesboro is also another area
that would benefit from an I-57 designation, Chadwell said.
“Jonesboro is very supportive of it because they would also see a four-lane interstate route from Jonesboro to Little Rock,” he said.
Chadwell said that after the someday designation, the commission aims to attract the same kinds of businesses it already seeks, including companies that work in metalworking, food production and other industries.
“We would look for industries that would take those products, turn them into something else and ship them from Newport,” he said.
An interstate designation would make the area more attractive for the transportation industry, too, he added.
“We could advertise that we have river, rail and interstate, all in the same community,” Chadwell said.
Chadwell said that over the years, local committees have looked into an interstate designation and have sought ways to achieve one. A month ago, the commission passed a resolution in support of the designation.
“I would hope it would happen as quickly as possible,” he said. “I know those things that move through Congress take time. … I would love to see it next year. I’d love to see it before that if it’s possible.”
If and when U.S. 67 receives interstate designation, Chadwell said, he believes it will also impact tourism in Arkansas and relieve traffic in other areas.
“I do think what will happen when it eventually opens all the way up to Chicago — I think it would take some of the traffic off I-55, and that has become such a congested area — I think that would benefit that interchange and people on that interchange,” he said.
Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.