Both segments are low-traffic, two-lane, undivided roads winding through the Piney Woods of Southwest Arkansas. No segment of Highway 51 has been listed as part of the National Highway System,[2] a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.[3]
The ArDOT maintains Highway 51 like all other parts of the state highway system. As a part of these responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic using its roads in surveys using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). ArDOT estimates the traffic level for a segment of roadway for any average day of the year in these surveys.
Highway 7, 8, and 51 reassurance markers in Arkadelphia
In Arkadelphia, Highway 51 becomes Hollywood Road and passes Magnolia Manor before an intersection with Highway 8. The two routes begin a concurrency running east, crossing I-30 at a diamond interchange. Highway 8/Highway 51 enter Arkadelphia as Pine Street, serving a mix of commercial and residential land uses before intersecting US 67 and Highway 7 (Tenth Street). The four highways overlap southbound as Tenth Street for two blocks, before turning onto Caddo Street and heading east toward downtown Arkadelphia, passing the historic Clark County Library.[6] At an intersection with Sixth Street, US 67 turns south toward the Arkadelphia Commercial Historic District, and the three state highways continue east to cross the Ouachita River on the Ouachita River Bridge. Shortly after the bridge, Highway 7 and Highway 8 split south toward Griffithtown.[7]
Highway 51 runs east to Joan, where it intersects Highway 128. The highway turns north, entering Hot Spring County.[5] It passes through Brown Springs before serving as the western terminus of Highway 222 east of Donaldson. Highway 51 passes through the small town of Donaldson as Bryant Drive before an intersection with US 67, where it terminates.[8]
A second segment of Highway 51 begins at US 270 on the municipal boundary between Rockport and Malvern. It runs north through the small town of Rockport before turning westward toward Butterfield and Magnet Cove. West of Magnet Cove, the highway terminates at US 270.[8] AADT for the highway was highest near Rockport, with 3,200 vehicles per day. Near the western terminus, the traffic counts dropped to 1,400.[9]
Near Berine, a former alignment now bears the Clark County Road 12 designation. Along the former alignment, the McNeely Creek Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To the east of Arkadelphia, Highway 51 formerly crossed the Ouachita River on a historic truss bridge.[12] The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 2018 upon the opening of a new bridge.[13]
Between Curtis and Gum Springs, a four-mile-long (6.4 km) stretch of concrete pavement built in 1931 remains intact. Part of the original Highway 51 alignment between Little Rock with Texarkana, the pavement was used until the present section of US 67 was built in 1965.[14] The road section was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.[11]
^ abcdSystem Information and Research Division (2014). "Arkansas Road Log Database". Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original(MDB) on August 29, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
^ abTransportation Planning and Policy Division (October 19, 2012). General Highway Map, Clark County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC910331352. Retrieved January 15, 2018. {{cite map}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^Planning and Research Division (April 2006). Map of Arkadelphia, Clark County, Arkansas(PDF) (Map). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. §§ D3–D6, E2–3, E6–7, F1. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
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