Interstate 69 (I-69) is a proposed Interstate Highway that will pass through the southeastern part of the US state of Arkansas. Signs indicating the corridor of the Interstate have been placed at various highways throughout the state. The only section of Future I-69 that is currently open to traffic is the eastern leg of the Monticello Bypass. This section of the Monticello Bypass is currently two lanes and signed as US Highway 278 Bypass (US 278 Byp.). , a second section between the eastern end of the Monticello Bypass and Highway 293 (AR 293) is under construction and will be temporarily designated as AR 569 upon opening, until the remainder of I-69 through Arkansas is completed.
Route Description
I-69 is planned to enter Arkansas from Louisiana and bypass El Dorado. The interstate is set to go in an east northern direction. It will cross U.S. Route 63 south of Wilmar, Arkansas. Southeast of Monticello, I-69 will meet Interstate 530 before crossing U.S. Route 425 bypassing Monticello south and east on what is currently a two-lane highway. The only portion of the planned route that is built is from US 425 to US 278 signed as US 278 Bypass. After crossing US 278, I-69 continues east. It will cross US 65 north of McGehee before crossing the Mississippi River to enter Mississippi via Charles W. Dean Bridge along with US 278.
Planned extension
I-69 has been divided into a number of sections of independent utility (SIUs).
SIU 12 (Arkansas portion) I-69 will enter Arkansas on the planned Charles W. Dean Bridge south of Arkansas City, then continue west to US 65 near McGehee; US 278 will also be rerouted there from its present crossing with US 82 at the Greenville Bridge. This is the western portion of SIU 12; the remaining portion consists of the east end of the Dean Bridge, near Greenville, Mississippi. Environmental studies for this segment, including the Dean Bridge, have been completed and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a record of decision (ROD) approving the route through SIU 12 in 2004.
On October 15, 2006, the FHWA directed the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) to begin land acquisition for I-69 from US 65 to the west bank of the Mississippi River where the Dean Bridge will be built. The first phase of this section was funded for FY2010 in AHTD's 2010–2013 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). In January 2017, AHTD reported that the Arkansas portion of SIU 12, including the Charles W. Dean Bridge, is "shovel ready", pending receipt of funding and completion of any actions required on the part of Mississippi to begin construction on the bridge.
SIU 13
US 278 will leave I-69 near McGehee and rejoin its existing routing. I-69 will continue on a separate alignment to Monticello, where it will meet the I-530 extension, then bypass Wilmar and Warren to the south and turn to the southwest, crossing the Ouachita River and running north of El Dorado near Louann to meet US 82 west of El Dorado between Magnolia and El Dorado.
The final environmental impact statement (EIS) on SIU 13 was completed in April 2006, and the FHWA issued an ROD approving the EIS on May 25, 2006. This segment is currently in the final design phase, with construction expected to cost $784 million. Arkansas further divides SIU 13 into several smaller segments. Construction on the first leg of SIU 13, the eastern leg of the Monticello Bypass between US 425 and US 278 east of Monticello, began in November 2011. The first two lanes of the Monticello Bypass (initially signed as US 278 Byp.) opened to traffic on October 11, 2018, and represents the first I-69 mainline project to be completed in Arkansas. Arkansas submitted a $25-million FASTLane grant application to the FHWA in May 2016 to continue design and right-of-way acquisition for the section of I-69 between Monticello and McGehee. In November 2016, AHTD submitted a revision to its FASTLane grant application requesting additional funds to include construction of the McGehee to Monticello section. According to the 2021–2024 STIP, $69 million (equivalent to $ in ) is planned in FY2022 to begin construction on two lanes of the Monticello–McGhee section. Construction began following a groundbreaking ceremony on December 23, 2022. Phase 1 will be from US 278 at the northern end of the Monticello Bypass to AR 293. Phase 2, which has yet to begin construction, will be from AR 293 to US 65. Arkansas Highway 569 (AR 569) will be a temporialy designation. An additional $4.9 million (equivalent to $ in ) was allocated in FY2019 to continue design and right-of-way acquisition for the western section of the Monticello Bypass.