Interstate 555

Interstate 555 (I-555) is an Interstate Highway that connects Turrell, Arkansas, at I-55 to Jonesboro at Arkansas Highway 91 (AR 91). I-555 travels along what is currently U.S. Route 63 (US 63) for its entire route. That highway was upgraded in the early 21st century to Interstate Highway standards. While I-555 is the second Interstate with all three digits the same, to exist, it is the first to be signed as an Interstate. (I-444 in Oklahoma, which was the first highway, is unsigned.)

Interstate 555
I-555 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-55
Maintained by ArDOT
Length	49.8 mi[1] (80.1 km)
Existed	March 11, 2016[2][3]–present
Major junctions
South end	I-55 / US 61 / US 63 / AR 77 in Turrell
	US 49 in Jonesboro
North end	US 63 / AR 18 / AR 91 in Jonesboro
Location
Counties	Crittenden, Poinsett, Craighead
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Arkansas Highway System Interstate U.S. State Business Spurs Suffixed Scenic Heritage ← AR 549 → AR 612

Route description

The road provides a limited-access highway corridor between Memphis, Tennessee, and Arkansas's fifth largest city, Jonesboro.

History

The I-555 route was approved on January 10, 2001, consisting of upgrading the section of US 63 between Turrell to Jonesboro to interstate standards.

According to the 2007 Arkansas state highway map, only a segment from Tyronza to Gilmore was not yet up to freeway standards. However, as of August 5, 2007, the AR 135 interchange on that section, the last one remaining, is open, thus making the route a true freeway.

I-555 exit 44 signage

A few mainline bridges between Marked Tree and Turrell are from the original two-lane US 63 and are narrower than current Interstate Highway standards, but I-530 was approved in 1999 despite having a similar issue.

The last requirement to formally designate this route as I-555 was the construction of a parallel access road across a floodway between Payneway and Marked Tree, so that farm equipment would no longer have to use US 63 to cross the floodway. To date, no crossing has ever been built, but an exemption of agricultural vehicles was added to I-555 between Marked Tree and Payneway The exemption was introduced by U.S. Representative Rick Crawford and passed as part of the House Transportation Bill on December 4, 2015.

It was announced in December 2015, that I-555 would be officially designated in Spring of 2016.[4] The road was officially dedicated on March 11, 2016 in Jonesboro.

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Crittenden	Turrell	0.0	0.0	1	I-55 / US 61 south / US 63 south / AR 77 south – Turrell, Blytheville, Memphis TN	I-55 exits 23A-B; signed as exits 1A (I-55/US 61/US 63 south) and 1B (I-55 north); US 61 north and AR 77 south continue past interchange; southern end of US 63/AR 77 overlaps.
	Gilmore	1.9	3.1	2	AR 77 north – Gilmore	Northern end of AR 77 overlap
Poinsett	​	7.1	11.4	7	AR 135 – Lepanto
	Tyronza	8.7	14.0	8	AR 118 – Tyronza
	Marked Tree	13.2	21.2	13	US 63B north / AR 149 – Marked Tree, Earle
		14.2	22.9	14	US 63B south (AR 14 east) / AR 75 – Marked Tree, Lepanto, Parkin	South end of AR 14 overlap
	​	18.2	29.3	18	AR 14 west – Payneway, Harrisburg	North end of AR 14 overlap
	​	24.0	38.6	24	AR 463 – Trumann
	Trumann	28.7	46.2	29	AR 69 – Trumann
Craighead	Bay	34.6	55.7	35	AR 463 – Bay
	Jonesboro	36.2	58.3	36	Nestlé Road
		39.1	62.9	39	AR 18S (Commerce Drive)
		40.3	64.9	40	US 63B north / AR 463 south (Nettleton Avenue)
		41.7	67.1	42	US 49 north / AR 1 (Stadium Boulevard/Red Wolf Boulevard) / Caraway Road – Paragould	South end of US 49 overlap
		43.4	69.8	44	AR 1B (Harrisburg Road)
		44.8	72.1	45	US 49 south / AR 18 east (Southwest Drive)	North end of US 49 overlap; south end of AR 18 overlap
		45.8	73.7	46	AR 226 west (Wood Springs Road) / Strawfloor Road
		47.1	75.8	47	Washington Avenue
		49.4	79.5	49	AR 91 (Dan Avenue / AR 18 west) / US 63 north	North end of freeway; north end of AR 18 overlap; northern terminus of I-555
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. Google (June 19, 2015). "Interstate 555" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
2. Reaves, Johnathan (March 9, 2016). "I-555 to Be Dedicated Friday in Jonesboro". Jonesboro, Arkansas: KASU-FM. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
3. "40 Years in the Making, I-555 in Arkansas Becoming Reality". Little Rock, Arkansas: KATV-TV. Associated Press. March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
4. "Highway Commission Approves I-555 Designation for Section of US 63". Times Record. Arkansas News Bureau. December 3, 2015.

External links

• Interstate 555 Arkansas
• Putting the "Future" in I-555 (KAIT-TV)