Americana Hwy 70 Series #43
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A tour of Arkansas along Highway 70.
We understand the time it takes to compose a log on every cache you
find in a day. WE DO NOT EXPECT ANY LOGS OTHER THAN "Thanks, TFTC OR TFTH"
on this series. If you want to type up a generic log and paste, we are happy
with that too.
Our main purpose with this series is to get you off the interstate and on
the back roads to see the best parts of our great state.
We hope you enjoy the series as much as we did placing it.
U.S. Route 70 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 2,385
miles (3,838 km) from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can
be derived from its number, it is a major east-west highway of the Southern
and Southwestern United States. It formerly ran from coast to coast, with
the current Eastern terminus near the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina, and
the former Western terminus near the Pacific Ocean in California. Before the
completion of the Interstate system, U.S. Hwy-70 was sometimes referred to
as the "Broadway of America", due to its status as one of the main east-west
thoroughfares in the nation.
U.S. 70 enters Arkansas eight miles (13 km) west of DeQueen. U.S. 70
bypasses the town to the north. Northeast of the city, it meets U.S. 71 and
overlaps with it for 8 mi (13 km). It then heads northwest for to Dierks,
where it begins a concurrency with U.S. 278. U.S. 70 then heads
east-northeast to Hot Springs, which it bypasses to the south on a freeway
alignment shared with U.S. 270. U.S. 70 then heads east to join with
Interstate 30 at Exit 111 south of Benton. The two highways remain joined to
the state capital, Little Rock, where U.S. 70B splits off from I-30 and U.S.
70 at Exit 132, and runs through downtown Little Rock, having an interchange
with Interstate 630 before crossing the Arkansas River in to North Little
Rock. U.S. 70 remains with I-30 through Little Rock, crossing the Arkansas
River into North Little Rock. It then splits off from I-30, and is rejoined
by U.S. 70B at Exit 141B, and serves as the northern terminus of U.S. Route
165. U.S. 70 then crosses Interstate 440 and leaves the Little Rock area,
paralleled by Interstate 40.
U.S. 70 continues its alignment near I-40 throughout eastern Arkansas,
generally about two or three miles (5 km) apart. I-40 bypasses Forrest City
to the north, while U.S. 70 serves the city center. The two routes remain
close through West Memphis, Arkansas, where U.S. 70 runs along Broadway
Blvd. Finally, U.S. 70 joins with Interstate 55 to cross the Mississippi
River into Tennessee.
Most or all of the present route designated as U.S. Highway 70 was earlier
known as Lee Highway. During the earliest days of the automobile, and
earlier, American highways were disorganized affairs of widely varying
quality. Highways were known by a bewildering variety of names which
typically changed at each town. And they were only named, not numbered.
During the 1920s the first national highway was conceived: the Lincoln
Highway, named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, stretching across the northern
United States from coast to coast. A companion effort was launched to create
a transcontinental highway stretching across the southern half of the
country, this one named in honor of the greatest general of the Confederate
States of America, Robert E. Lee. The two highways were a revolution of
sorts, in that a driver could follow a single road from coast to coast
bearing the same designation. Much of today's U.S. 70 was earlier the Lee
Highway, although that appelation was later dropped.
Originally U.S. Highway 70 reached downtown Los Angeles even though it was
concurrent with U.S Route 99 and/or U.S. Highway 60 throughout its course
west of Globe, Arizona. Beginning in 1964 it was decommissioned in favor of
Interstate 10 or US 60.
If you find one of these caches needs maintenance or is missing please
email me or feel free to do repairs as needed. Thanks and have a great
caching day.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)