Arkansas Highway 302

Highway 302 (AR 302, Ark. 302, and Hwy. 302) is a designation for three east–west state highways in the Arkansas Grand Prairie. All three are low traffic rural highways. The first segment was created in 1963, with the other two added ten years later. One segment was part of the Trail of Tears and is preserved as an Arkansas Heritage Trail. All are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Highway 302
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
Existed	April 24, 1963[1]–present
Section 1
Length	2.994 mi[2] (4.818 km)
West end	AR 86 near Hazen
East end	AR 249 near Hazen
Section 2
Length	3.189 mi[2] (5.132 km)
West end	AR 33 near DeValls Bluff
East end	CR 218 / CR 222 near the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
Section 3
Length	10.932 mi[2] (17.593 km)
West end	US 79B in Clarendon
East end	AR 17 near Brinkley
Location
Counties	Monroe, Prairie
Highway system
Arkansas Highway System Interstate U.S. State Business Spurs Suffixed Scenic Heritage ← AR 301 → AR 303

Route description

Rural Prairie County

Highway 302 begins at Highway 86 in western Prairie County, a flat agricultural county in the Arkansas Delta. It runs due east as a section line road through agricultural fields, bridging Mitchell Branch and Mellon Branch and passing rural residences and outbuildings. Continuing east, the highway crosses an overflow branch of Barnes Creek before intersecting Highway 249. Highway 302 terminates at this junction, with Highway 249 continuing east and south.[3]

Cache River

Eastern terminus of Highway 302

Highway 302 begins at Highway 33 in eastern Prairie County south of DeValls Bluff, one of the dual county seats. Though beginning in an agricultural area, the highway quickly enters the dense forests associated with the riparian buffer of the Cache River. State maintenance ends at an intersection with County Road 222 and Old Petty Lane near the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, with the roadway continuing east as County Road 218.[3]

Monroe County

First Highway 302 reassurance marker south of the Highway 241 intersection

A third section of Highway 302 begins in Clarendon, the small-town county seat of Monroe County where the Cache River meets the White River. The route begins at US Highway 79 Business (US 79B, Madison Street) east of downtown near the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway tracks. Highway 302 runs north as 9th Street, passing the Clarendon High School and Harding Field, the Clarendon Lions high school football field. The highway turns north, exiting Clarendon and heading northward toward Brinkley, roughly paralleling the Cache River through sparsely populated agricultural lands. Shortly after passing through the unincorporated community of Dobbs Landing, Highway 302 intersects Highway 241. Highway 302 continues northward through Allendale to an intersection with Highway 17 just south of US 70, where it terminates.[4]

History

Highway 302 was created by the Arkansas State Highway Commission (ASHC) on April 24, 1963 east from Highway 33.[1]

In 1973, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 9 of 1973. The act directed county judges and legislators to designate up to 12 miles (19 km) of county roads as state highways in each county.[5] As a result of this legislation, the other two segments were created: in Prairie County[6] and between Highway 241 and Highway 17 in Monroe County.[7] The Monroe County segment later replaced Highway 241 south to Clarendon on January 26, 1977 to improve route continuity.[8]

The segment between Clarendon and Highway 17 was part of the Trail of Tears, and is designated as an Arkansas Heritage Trail.[9]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Prairie	​	0.00	0.00	AR 86	Western terminus
	​	2.994	4.818	AR 249	Eastern terminus
	Gap in route
	​	0.000	0.000	AR 33	Western terminus
	​	3.189	5.132	CR 218 / CR 222	Eastern terminus
Gap in route
Monroe	Clarendon	0.00	0.00	US 79B (Madison Street)	Western terminus
	​	6.445	10.372	AR 241 north	AR 241 southern terminus
	​	10.932	17.593	AR 17	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

1. "Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission" (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. 1953–1969. pp. 913–917. OCLC 21798861. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
2. System Information and Research Division (2015). "Arkansas Road Log Database" (MDB). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
3. Planning and Research Division (February 6, 2008) [August 9, 2000]. General Highway Map, Prairie County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 918862200. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
4. Transportation Planning and Policy Division (October 12, 2016) [May 2, 2000]. General Highway Map, Monroe County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 915080096. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
5. Planning and Research Division, Policy Analysis Section (2010). Development of Highway and Transportation Legislation in Arkansas (PDF). A Review of the Acts Relative to Administering and Financing Highways and Transportation in Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. p. 13. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
6. "Minutes" (1970–79), p. 1143 harvp error: no target: CITEREF"Minutes"1970–79 (help).
7. "Minutes" (1970–79), p. 1141 harvp error: no target: CITEREF"Minutes"1970–79 (help).
8. "Minutes" (1970–79), p. 392 harvp error: no target: CITEREF"Minutes"1970–79 (help).
9. Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. "Map of the Trail of Tears portion of the Arkansas Heritage Trails System" (Map). Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Little Rock: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

External links

Media related to Arkansas Highway 302 at Wikimedia Commons