Arkansas Highway 206

Highway 206 marker
Highway 206
Map
Segments of AR 206 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
ExistedJuly 10, 1957[1]–present
Section 1
Length14.807 mi[2] (23.830 km)
West end AR 43
East end US 62 / US 65 / US 412 in Bellefonte
Section 2
Length5.541 mi[2] (8.917 km)
West end US 65
East end CR 4019
Section 3
Length2.952 mi[3] (4.751 km)
West end AR 14 at Ralph
East end CR 6022
Location
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountiesBoone, Marion
Highway system
AR 205 AR 207

Highway 206 (AR 206 and Hwy. 206) is a designation for three east–west state highways in the Ozark Mountains. Each segment was created during periods of state highway systemwide expansions ordered by the Arkansas General Assembly to add system mileage in every county, first in 1957, and again in 1973. All are low-traffic highways providing connectivity between rural communities and major highways in the area. All are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Route description

The ArDOT maintains Highway 206 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. As of 2019, AADT was estimated at 1,300 vehicles per day (VPD) near Bellefonte and as low as 610 VPD near the western terminus of Section 1. Section 2 had an AADT of 830 VPD, with Section 3 ranging from 200 to 20 VPD.[4] For reference, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), classifies roads with fewer than 400 vehicles per day as a very low volume local road.[5]

No segment of Highway 206 has been listed as part of the National Highway System,[6] a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.[7]

Section 1

The route begins in Boone County southwest of Harrison in the Ozark Mountains at a junction with Highway 43. Highway 206 runs south through a rural area of woods and hayfields to the unincorporated community of Gaither. The highway turns east toward an area known as Krooked Kreek, where it junctions with Arkansas Highway 7 (an Arkansas Scenic Byway). East of this junction, Highway 206 continues through Elmwood before turning north toward the small town of Bellefonte. Shortly after entering Bellefonte, Highway 206 meets US 62/US 65/US 412, where it terminates.[8]

Section 2

State maintenance begins at the Boone-Marion county line

.

In the southeast corner of Boone County, Highway 206 begins at US 65 southeast of Valley Springs and only 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the Newton County line. The highway winds east through sparsely populated Ozark Mountain countryside to the small town of Everton. East of Everton, the Highway 206 designation (and thus state maintenance) ends at the Marion County line. The roadway continues east as Marion County Road 4019 (CR 4019).[8]

Section 3

A third segment of Highway 206 begins in rural Marion County at a junction with Highway 14 at the unincorporated community of Ralph. The highway runs east through rural Ozark Mountain countryside for 2.952 miles (4.751 km), when state maintenance ends approximately four miles (6.4 km) west of Rush and the Buffalo National River.[3] The roadway continues east as Marion CR 6022.[9]

History

The Arkansas General Assembly passed the Act 148 of 1957, the Milum Road Act, creating 10–12 miles (16–19 km) of new state highways in each county.[10] As part of this system expansion, Highway 206 was created by the Arkansas State Highway Commission on July 10, 1957, between Gaither and Bellefonte.[1] The alignment was slightly revised west of Highway 7 on January 28, 1959,[11] and extended west to Highway 43 on June 29, 1960.[12] The second Boone County segment was designated on March 28, 1973, in response to the Arkansas General Assembly's Act 9 of 1973,[13] which directed county judges and state legislators to designate up to 12 miles (19 km) of county roads as state highways in each county.[10] The Marion County segment was created two months later in response to the same act.[14]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[6]kmDestinationsNotes
Boone0.0000.000 AR 43 – Compton, Ponca, HarrisonWestern terminus
7.2111.60 AR 7 (Scenic 7 Byway) – Harrison, Jasper
Bellefonte14.80723.830 US 62 / US 65 / US 412 – Harrison, Mountain Home, ConwayEastern terminus
Gap in route
0.0000.000 US 65 – Harrison, MarshallWestern terminus
BooneMarion
county line
5.5418.917End state maintenance, road continues as CR 4019Eastern terminus
Gap in route
MarionRalph0.0000.000 AR 14Western terminus
2.9524.751End state maintenance, road continues as CR 6022Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission" (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. 1953–1969. p. 1778. OCLC 21798861. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Transportation Planning and Policy Division (October 1, 2020). State Highway Route and Section Map, Boone County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Transportation Planning and Policy Division (December 30, 2019). State Highway Route and Section Map, Marion County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  4. ^ System Information & Research Division (2019). Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates (GIS Map) (Map). Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Staff of AASHTO (2019). Guidelines for Geometric Design of Low-Volume Roads (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. pp. 2–8. ISBN 978-1-56051-726-9. OCLC 1140203768.
  6. ^ a b System Information and Research Division (2015). "Arkansas Road Log Database" (MDB). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  7. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 29, 2017). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Transportation Planning and Policy Division (November 19, 2013) [August 12, 2002]. General Highway Map, Boone County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas Department of Transportation. OCLC 909275885. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Planning and Research Division (April 15, 2008) [December 19, 2005]. General Highway Map, Marion County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map) (Revised ed.). 1:62,500. Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. OCLC 914353554. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Governmental Relations Office (2018). "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 Department of Transportation. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "Minutes" (1953–1969), p. 1418.
  12. ^ "Minutes" (1953–1969), p. 1358.
  13. ^ "Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission" (PDF). Little Rock: Arkansas State Highway Commission. 1970–1979. pp. 1117–1118. OCLC 21798861. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Minutes" (1970–1979), p. 1167.

Sources

KML is from Wikidata