Interstate 49

**The article "Interstate 49" is a *WORK IN PROGRESS!*.**
This page is still being worked on! Please bear with us! Thank you for waiting!

*Not to be confused with US Route 49, US Route 71, or Interstate 29*

## Interstate

**Interstate 49** is a north-south highway running from Kansas City, Missouri to Lafayette, Louisiana. It also serves the communities of Bentonville, Rodgers, Lowell, Springdale, Johnson, Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Texarkana in Arkansas, and Shreveport, Alexandria, and Lafayette in Louisiana. It also continues as I-29 after Kansas City, so I-49 indirectly serves St Joseph, MO, Omaha, NE, Sioux City, IA, Sioux Falls, SD, Fargo, ND and via MB 75, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I-49 is also a future highway, meaning it is incomplete in some parts, mainly the section between Alma, Arkansas and Texarkana, Arkansas.

## Route Description

### Missouri

I-49 begins at a junction with I-435, I-470, US 71, and US 50 south of Kansas City, Missouri. I-49 begins a very long concurrency with US 71 at this point. It begins it's way south, passing Grandview, Belton, Harrisonville, Adrian, Butler, Rich Hill, Nevada (US 54), Lamar (US 160), and Jasper, then meets I-49 Business in Carthage. After that I-49 meets a concurrency with I-44. It meets I-44 Bus into Joplin in Scotland, and then splits off with I-44 at the junction with MO 249. I-44 continues southwest towards Miami and Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I-49 returns south towards Neosho. In Neosho it meets US 60, then I-49 continues south passing many small towns, then splits off with US 71 and begins the Bella Vista bypass.

### Arkansas

#### Bella Vista - Alma

I-49 begins on the Bella Vista Bypass. It begins another concurrency with US 71 north of Bentonville. I-49 then forms bypasses of Bentonville, Rodgers, Springdale, and Fayetteville, meeting US 412 along the way in Springdale as well. I-49 continues south through the Ozarks, then this section of I-49 ends in Alma at Interstate 40. US 71 continues south.

#### Barling - White Bluff

on Google Maps this portion is shown as "I-49" however, in realty this 6 mile stretch of highway is signed as Arkansas 549. It begins at Arkansas 255 in Barling, and has two exits, Roberts Boulevard, and Massard Road, then ends at Exit 187, US 71.

#### Texarkana - Louisiana

This section of I-49 technically begins in Texas on US 71 and US 59. US 71 and US 59 are on the AR/TX state line, but I-49's ramp immediately leaves Texas after moving east. I-49 then forms a partial loop around Texarkana. It meets I\_30 just northeast of Texarkana, then continues south passing US 67 and the Texarkana Regional Airport, US 82, and US 71, then takes a turn to the south after an intersection with TX/AR 151 (to I-369). I-49 parallels US 71, then enters Louisiana.

### Louisiana

I-49 enters Louisiana, then meets LA 2 in Hosston. I-49 then continues south towards Shreveport. Interestingly I-49 yet again disappears after the I-220 junction. For any travelers continuing on I-49, they either need to take US 71 through downtown Shreveport, or go the wrong way and use I-220 and LA 3132 all the way to I-49.

I-49 then continues south and southeast, passing US 84, US 371, LA 6 (Natchitoches), Alexandria (US 71 US 165 US 167 LA 28), and Lafayette, where it ends at I-10 and US 167. In my personal opinion it would make sense for LADOT to expand I-49 all the way to New Orleans using US 90 as a bypass around Baton Rouge, similar to I-12 which bypasses New Orleans.

## Route Information

### Estimated Completion

Already begun.

 Arkansas
 Texas
 Louisiana