Interstate 530

Route description

The route begins at a high volume intersection with I-30/I-440/US 65/US 67/US 167 in southeast Little Rock. This intersection handles over 100,000 vehicles per day on average. I-530 runs south with US 65 and US 167 through marshland, entering Saline County briefly to split with US 167 south. Returning to Pulaski County, I-530 has an exit at Hensley (which also connects to Highway 365) before entering Jefferson County.

Interstate 530 continues south, passing through forested land and clear cut areas, also running parallel to AR 365. I-530 intersects Highway 46 in Redfield before entering White Hall. After an intersection with Arkansas Highway 256, the route runs south to serve as the eastern terminus for US 270. This exit also contains Arkansas Highway 365 Spur eastbound to White Hall. Continuing south to Pine Bluff, I-530 serves as a beltway around the city. I-530 skirts the city to the southwest, including exits for West 19th Street, US 79B, and US 63B.

The Interstate ends at a very large junction with US 63/US 65/US 65B/US 79/US 425/AR 190, after which the roadway continues south as US 65/US 425 toward Dumas.

This Interstate highway is unusual in that its exit number increase south rather than north. However, the standard for spurs is to increase from the beginning at the parent.

US 167 intersection

The US Route 167 junction (Exit 10) can only be accessed by southbound I-530 but not northbound I-530. There existed a median crossover to access US 167 South from I-530 North, but this was removed due to numerous severe and fatal accidents at the crossover. Northbound I-530 traffic must now use the Bingham Road (Exit 9) exit and cross the overpass to I-530 South.

I-530 State Scenic Byway

Interstate 530 is designated as one of ten Arkansas Scenic Byways for 15 miles (24 km) from AR 256 northwest of White Hall to U.S. Route 65 in southern Pine Bluff. The route passes over Bayou Bartholomew and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The southern portion was formerly a wetland preserve, but now the land is being developed.

Points of interest

History

The current route was formerly designated as U.S. Highway 65. Today, I-530 and US 65 run concurrently as a four-lane, limited-access spur route. The route formally gained the I-530 designation after a full interstate-grade bypass of Pine Bluff (known locally as the Wiley Branton Highway) replaced a segment of US 65 through Pine Bluff that contains at-grade intersections. This segment (known locally as the Martha Mitchell Expressway) was re-designated U.S. 65 Business; U.S. 65 was rerouted to the bypass before gaining the I-530 co-designation.

Arkansas Highway 530

A planned extension of the route pushes the Interstate south to U.S. Route 278 in Wilmar. The first segment of the extension from US 278 north to Arkansas 35, opened as a two-lane expressway designated Arkansas Highway 530 on June 6, 2006. This extension is intended to connect to the proposed southern extension of Interstate 69; U.S. 278 at Wilmar also provides four-lane access to the future I-530 from the larger cities of Warren and Monticello, thus allowing both to champion its completion. Though sufficient right-of-way was provided and grading done for interchanges at both ends as well as two additional lanes, this segment presently has stop signs at both ends and an intersection with Bradley County Road 96/Barkada Road; it is otherwise a two-lane expressway in between.

The second segment of the extension opened in September 2013. It connects the Interstate 530 interchange in Pine Bluff with State Highway 11 in Lincoln County and is 18 miles in length. Currently the segment is 2 lanes until further funding is available.

The remaining segments between AR 35 and Pine Bluff will also be built as a partial two-lane freeway, similar to the existing AR 35-U.S. 278 segment and Pine Bluff intersection to AR 114 segment. Initially, the only full interchange will be with the present I-530 at Pine Bluff; grade crossings will be built at other planned interchanges, but the stretches between grade crossings will be true two-lane expressways with grade separations and service roads where needed. The route includes sufficient right-of-way to build interchanges and two additional lanes later; the Pine Bluff interchange will be a full freeway-to-freeway facility designed for the future four-lane freeway. As of August 18, 2015, the next segment - AR 114 to AR 11 was open to traffic. Eventually, the route will connect Pine Bluff and Little Rock to Interstate 69 in Arkansas.