Arkansas Highway 38

Highway 38
Route information
Maintained by AHTD
Existed:	1926 – present
Section 1
Length:	49.58 mi[1] (79.79 km)
West end:	AR 367 in Cabot
East end:	US 49 near Hunter
Section 2
Length:	21.43 mi[1] (34.49 km)
West end:	I-40 / US 63
East end:	AR 147
Section 3
Length:	0.10 mi[1] (0.16 km)
South end:	US 70 in West Memphis
North end:	I-55 / US 61 / US 64 / US 79 in West Memphis
Location
Counties:	Lonoke, Prairie, Woodruff, St. Francis, Crittenden
Highway system
Arkansas Highway System Interstate US State Business Spurs Scenic Heritage Trails ← AR 37 AR 39 →

Highway 38 (AR 38, Ark. 38, and Hwy. 38) is a designation for three state highways in Arkansas. One route of 49.58 miles (79.79 km) runs east from Highway 367 at Cabot to US Route 49 (US 49) near Hunter.^[2][3] A second route of 21.43 miles (34.49 km) begins at Interstate 40/US 63 (I-40/US 63) and runs east to Highway 147 near Horseshoe Lake.^[4][5] A third route of 0.10 miles (0.16 km) runs in West Memphis as Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from US 70 north to I-55/US 61/US 64/US 79. All routes are maintained by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).

Route description

Cabot to Hunter

Highway 38 begins at Highway 367 at the city limits of Cabot in Lonoke County. The highway connects agricultural areas in Arkansas's Grand Prairie, including rice and soybeans as well as aquaculture. Passing east through Austin, where it has an intersection with Highway 319. The intersection is near the Sears House, an 1860 antebellum home in late Greek Revival-Italianate style listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).^[6][7] Continuing east, Highway 38 runs through unincorporated area in eastern Lonoke County, intersecting Highway 321 near Sylvania and Highway 31 near Butlerville before entering Prairie County.^[2]

White River at Des Arc, with Highway 38 passing over on the bridge in the background

Upon entering Prairie County, Highway 38 continues to pass through rural, agricultural areas with small settlements at intersections with other state highways. The highway intersects Highway 13 at Hickory Plains, Highway 86 at Hayley, and Highway 11 at Four Mile Corner. Highway 11 begins a concurrency with Highway 38 eastward toward Des Arc, the county seat for the northern district of Prairie County.^{[a 1]} Entering Des Arc, Highway 38 and Highway 11 intersect Highway 323 near the Lower White River Museum State Park. Highway 323 runs to the downtown business district, with Highway 38 turning northeast and bypassing most of the city. In northern Des Arc, the concurrency with Highway 11 ends, with Highway 11 turning due north toward the Bayou De View Wildlife Management Area and Searcy. This intersection also contains Highway 323Y, which is a short spur route providing access to downtown Des Arc. Highway 38 continues along the northern edge of Des Arc, passing the historic Oak Grove Cemetery, listed on the NRHP, and crossing over the White River on a 1970 steel through truss bridge. Highway 33 overlaps Highway 38 in eastern Prairie County until the Woodruff County line, when Highway 33 turns north toward Augusta, ending the concurrency.^{[a 2][9]}

I-40 to Hughes

Highway 38 near US 79 in Hughes

West Memphis

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Lonoke	Cabot	0.00	0.00	AR 367 – Cabot, Austin, Beebe
	Ward	2.36	3.80	AR 319 north – Ward
	​	4.44	7.15	AR 321 south
		7.60	12.23	AR 31 – Beebe, Lonoke
Prairie	Hickory Plains	15.74	25.33	AR 13 – Beebe, Carlisle
	Hayley	20.48	32.96	AR 86 east
	Four Mile Corner	26.07	41.96	AR 11 south – Hazen, Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area	West end of AR 11 overlap
	Des Arc	28.71	46.20	AR 323 south – Des Arc Business District, Lower White River Museum State Park
		29.18	46.96	AR 11 north / AR 323 (via AR 323Y) – Searcy, Des Arc Business District, Lake Des Arc	East end of AR 11 overlap
	​	30.05– 30.25	48.36– 48.68	Bridge over the White River
	​	32.10	51.66	AR 33 south – Biscoe	West end of AR 33 overlap
Prairie–Woodruff county line	Little Dixie	38.76	62.38	AR 33 north – Augusta	East end of AR 33 overlap
Woodruff	Cotton Plant	44.93	72.31	AR 306 east
		45.02– 0.00	72.45– 0.00	AR 17 – Brinkley, Patterson
Monroe	No major junctions
Woodruff	​	4.56	7.34	US 49 – Fair Oaks, Brinkley
Gap in route
St. Francis	​	0.00	0.00	CR 419	Western terminus
		0.21	0.34	I-40 (US 63) – Memphis, Little Rock	I-40 exit 247
		0.53	0.85	US 70 – Memphis, Madison
	Widener	2.44	3.93	AR 50 west	West end of AR 50 overlap
	​			AR 75 north
		0.00	0.00	AR 50 east to AR 149 – Wildwood	East end of AR 50 overlap
	Hughes	11.26	18.12	US 79 / Great River Road south – West Memphis, Marianna	West end of GRR overlap
		0.55	0.89	AR 149 north (Blackwood Street)
Crittenden	​	7.77	12.50	AR 147 / Great River Road north (Horseshoe Circle)	East end of GRR overlap
	Gap in route
	West Memphis	0.00	0.00	US 70 (Broadway Avenue) / South Loop Road
		0.10	0.16	I-55 (US 61 / US 64 / US 79) to I-40 / Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive – Little Rock, Memphis	I-55 exit 4
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

History

The route from Des Arc to Cotton Plant was originally designated as part of Arkansas State Road B-7 in the original 1924 state highway plan.^[10] This route ran north from the Stuttgart area to Cotton Plant via Des Arc, roughly along present-day US 63, Highway 11 and Highway 38. During the 1926 Arkansas state highway numbering, the Highway 38 designation was assigned to the short connector highway between Des Arc and Cotton Plant. The route was extended west to Cabot in the late 1930s. A minor routing change west of Hughes involving a new bridge over Blackfish Bayou occurred in 1956.^[11]

Highway 38 was extended east in 1958 following the construction of a new US 79 alignment in Hughes. Highway 38 was extended east, creating an overlap with Highway 50 and terminating at Highway 147 near Horseshoe Lake.^[12] The area around Horseshoe Lake with Highway 38 and Highway 147 was renumbered in 1959 "for the convenience and guidance of the traveling public".^[13] This rerouting was changed in 1963 to "eliminate confusion" near Horseshoe Lake, resulting in the creation of Highway 131 and rerouting Highway 147.^[14]

See also

• Arkansas portal
• U.S. Roads portal

Notes

1. Although Arkansas highways normally terminate when intersected by a route of greater importance, Highway 38 in Prairie County does not end when intersecting Highway 11 near Des Arc.^[8]
2. Although Arkansas highways normally terminate when intersected by a route of greater importance, Highway 38 in Prairie County does not end when intersecting Highway 33 in eastern Prairie County.^[8]

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Planning and Research Division (March 28, 2012). "Arkansas Road Log Database" (MBD). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
2. General Highway Map, Lonoke County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
3. General Highway Map, Woodruff County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. September 29, 2000. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
4. General Highway Map, Lonoke County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. December 15, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
5. General Highway Map, Crittenden County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). 1:62500. Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. January 2, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
6. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
7. "NRHP nomination for Sears House" (PDF). Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
8. Route and Section Map (PDF) (Map) (Prairie County ed.). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
9. General Highway Map, Prairie County, Arkansas (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
10. Map of State of Arkansas Showing System of Primary and Secondary Federal Aid Roads and Connecting State Roads and Progress of Improvements (Map) (1924-12-31 ed.). Arkansas State Highway Commission. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
11. "Minute Order 1261" (PDF). Minutes of the Meeting. ASHC. 1956-01-25. p. 1830. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
12. "Minute Order 2708" (PDF). Minutes of the Meeting. ASHC. 1958-05-07. p. 1618. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
13. "Minute Order 3145" (PDF). Minutes of the Meeting. ASHC. 1959-03-04. pp. 1438–1439. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
14. "Minute Order 5299" (PDF). Minutes of the Meeting. ASHC. 1963-10-30. pp. 1009–1010. Retrieved 2016-05-22.