Highway 63 in Jonesboro redesignated as I-555

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) on Tuesday (Nov. 23) redesignated a portion of Highway 63 in Jonesboro as part of Interstate 555.

The section of Highway 63 between U.S. Highway 49 South (Southwest Drive) and Highway 91 (Dan Avenue) is now officially part of the Interstate 555 system.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) determined that the 4.8-mile segment meets interstate standards and have approved the designation.

The conversion of Highway 63 to interstate standards between Interstate 55 and Highway 91 began with a 1987 earmark of $2 million from Congress. Since that time, over $300 million, including $65.2 million in earmarks, has been invested to upgrade the corridor that links the Jonesboro region with Interstate 55 and the Memphis metropolitan area.

“I want to express my appreciation to Arkansas’ past and present Congressional delegation, my fellow Highway Commissioners and ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor and her staff for their work on this very important corridor,” said Jonesboro native Alec Farmer, Vice Chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission. “And, of course, I want to thank our local area leaders who over the last five decades worked so hard on improving Highway 63 to bring us to this point.”