LITTLE ROCK – In 2019 the legislature passed Act 789, directing the Arkansas Department of Transportation to collect information on the most congested highways in the state, as well as the stretches of road with the highest frequency of crashes.
The purpose is to provide legislators with the data they need to make informed decisions on funding of highway construction and maintenance.
To comply with Act 789 of 2019 the Department collects traffic data at approximately 9,200 locations across the state. The 10 most congested roads in urban areas are all within Pulaski County. The most congested road in a rural area is also in Pulaski County. However, it is the only rural road in Pulaski County to make the list.
Benton County had five congested rural roads on the list of the most congested roads. Three were stretches along Highway 59; the other two were along Highways and 72 and 62.
Baxter County had two highways on the list, both were short stretches on Highway 62. Washington County also had two rural roads on the list, both on Highway 16.
The Department also analyzed data from accident reports to identify the five locations in every county that had the highest number of crashes.
During an eight-year period from 2015 through 2022 the average expenditure of highway funds, per Arkansas resident, was $303 a year. The average varies widely depending on the Congressional District, from a high of $363 in the First District of east and north Arkansas to $215 in the Third District in the northwest corner of the state.
The average expenditure per person in the Fourth District, in southern and western Arkansas, was $365 a year. In the Second District of central Arkansas, state and federal highway funding averaged $269 per person.
The First District had more than 6,600 miles in the state highway system. The Fourth District had more than 6,400 miles. The Second District had 1,700 miles and the Third District had 1,900 miles of highway maintained by the state.
In state Fiscal Year 2024 the total of federal and state spending on highway maintenance and preservation was almost $800 million. Highways in the First District had the most funding – $298 million. In the Fourth District the funding amount was $261 million. In the Third District highway funding totaled $247 million and in the Second District it was $97 million.
Calculations constantly change for a variety of reasons, such as adding lanes to a busy highway. For the same reasons, the cost of maintenance and construction varies on a per mile basis, depending on the type of highway. In 2024 the Transportation Department spent $405,000 per centerline mile in the Third District, compared to $70,000 per mile in the First District, $84,000 per mile in the Second District and $53,000 per mile in the Fourth District.
The state maintains 16,392 miles of roads while the 75 counties maintain 65,540 miles. There are 17,234 miles of city streets. It’s important to remember that 94 percent of all heavy truck traffic is on state highways.
