Interstate 540

I-540 Arkansas (link)

80.72 miles [1]; from US 271 near Fort Smith, to an overlap with I-40 near Alma, to US 62/71 at Bentonville. The original I-540 has been around since at least 1971. The 1978 federal list showed it as only 8.13 miles. Later logs, up to 1999, showed I-540 as 11.4 miles.

On Nov. 14, 1997, AASHTO approved a state request to extend the I-540 designation northward. The extended I-540, to be marked as Future I-540, included the following: [27]

overlap with I-40 from old 40/540 interchange to Alma
10.05 miles north on existing SR 540
36 miles north on new freeway
5.59 miles on US 71 to US 71 BUS N of Fayetteville

On January 8, 1999, Arkansas opened a new 32-mile segment of freeway north of I-40, from Alma to the US 62/71 at US 71B interchange north of Fayetteville. The completed freeway was then designated part of an extended I-540, which is paired with I-40 for a few miles. I-540 inherits parts of the fragmented US 71 freeway in the area.

Bullwhiz, the self-described Arkansas Media Gossip Rag, noted:

"Channel 5 and Channel 29 went all-out on Friday night to provide blanket coverage of the Interstate 540 opening, as one would expect. They even turned to musical themes. Channel 29 opened the newscast with scenes from the Bobby Hopper Tunnel and a recording of the "Hallelujah" chorus. A few minutes later, Channel 5 opened a report on a ride down the freeway with Steppenwolf singing 'Born to Be Wild.' An interesting enough dichotomy."

The new miles cover some of the most rugged and challenging terrain in Arkansas, requiring 200-foot-high bridges and the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, the state's first. [6] The overall cost, $460 million, was $11 million a mile, not quite as upscale as California's I-105, but expensive for the area. [5] A 10-mile segment, from I-40 to Mountainburg, opened in August 1995 for just under $70 million. [4]

On April 7, 2000, AASHTO approved a 19.27-mile northward extension of I-540 from US 71 in Fayetteville to US 62 in Rogers; the road was previously part of US 71. [28] By mid-May, the state highway department had already erected new I-540 signs. [11]

Background

The ancestry of US 71 and I-540 includes the Arkansas Highway commission's authorizing a 1968 study for a major north-south highway in Benton and Washington counties. In 1971, a similar study showed the need for a highway from I-40 to the Missouri state line. In 1975, the Federal Highway Administration rejected a proposal for a major highway corridor from Baton Rouge to Kansas City. [5] (If this sounds familiar, it's the proposed I-49/I-29 extension, which is enjoying renewed interest.)

Another study in 1987, supported by four states (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri), promoted a Shreveport to Kansas City freeway for $1.7 billion, and in 1991, it was listed as a "high priority corridor." This designation helped release federal funds for the route, and I-540 itself was 82.5 percent federally funded. [5]

The Larger Plan

Area advocates are pushing to have I-540 included in the I-29/49 extension planned in the Arkansas area. On April 25, 1997, AASHTO rejected Arkansas' proposal to apply the Interstate 49 designation to I-540. The Association's Route Numbering Committee noted the lack of evidence of support from neighboring states, as well as substantial unbuilt portions of the proposed I-49. [26]

Oklahoma, on the other hand, proposed extending I-540 westward to meet I-40 again, west of the OK 9A interchange in Arkoma. Though LeFlore county commissioners unanimously passed the resolution in early 1998, support still needs to be drummed up: the road is not (yet) on OKDOT's five-year plan. [21]

I-540 North Carolina (link)

9.52 miles [1], officially, as of October 2002. Interstate 540 is part of a planned 72-mile, $1.2 billion outer beltway around Raleigh. About 17 miles are complete as of late 2002. The highway is often called the Outer Loop, or the Northern Wake Expressway (for Wake County).

The conventional wisdom circa 1997 was that when the beltway was finished, its I-540 numbering (for "spur") would be changed to I-640 ("loop"). However, as of 2002 there appeared to be little advantage to the motorist for this, and thus no plans for a number change. [19]

Background

The idea for a six-lane expressway encircling outer Raleigh dates back to the 1970s. In 1984, the state added the north half to its seven-year highway plan, although substantial funding, in the form of a new Highway Trust Fund, was not authorized until 1989. Planners expect the loop to be complete around 2025. [7]

The south half has trailed the north half in both planning and construction. The first contract for I-540 south of I-40 was approved in early 2004.

AASHTO approved the I-540 number extending from NC 55 to US 64 on April 19, 1996. This was subject to FHWA approval for the same segment; portions that became future parts of the Interstate system would be signed Future I-540. [25]

Ribbon Cuttings

The first segment of Interstate 540, a five-mile, $130M section extending northerly from I-40 to US 70, broke ground in 1992. [7] It opened at 12:08 pm on January 21, 1997; here's the scoop from Bob Goudreau:

"Two days ago, the North Carolina DOT finally opened the first stretch of I-540 near Raleigh... It was originally scheduled to open last summer, but the fill material used on some of the entrance ramps was discovered to be faulty, so the opening was delayed several months while the ramps were rebuilt." [2]

The following segments have opened or will open soon:

I-40 to US 70: 5 miles, $130M. Opened Jan. 21, 1997. [2]
US 70 to Leesville Road; 2.5 miles, $18.7M. Started in 1996, opened Dec. 11, 1999. [7] The roadside markers read "Future Route 540," addressing a technicality: interstate spurs must end at a road belonging to the National Highway System, which Leesville Road is not. [14] Thanks go to Tim Brandenburg for sending the News & Observer article.
Leesville Road to NC 50; opened Dec. 21, 2000.
NC 50 to Falls of the Neuse Road; 4.3 miles, 6 lanes, $20.4M. Opened June 29, 2001. [12] [13] [20]
Falls of the Neuse Road to Triangle Town Blvd (just beyond US 1); 4 miles, $70M. Started November 1999; opened Aug. 13, 2002. [8] [14] [17] This segment apparently made 540 long enough to become material, and the "Future" tag was afterward removed from the "Future 540" signs. [18]
Extend to the new US 64 bypass south of Knightdale: 7 miles, 6 lanes, $67M; was spring 2006 [14] [22]; but newer date as of 1/04 is Nov. 2005 [24]
I-40 southward to NC 55: contract approved Jan. 2004; expected completion 2007. [23]

You can check here, but you'll certainly find out first about new openings on misc.transport.road.

Over Under Sideways Down

Throughout its first 4.5 years of life (from the first segment opening in 1997 to April 2002), I-540 has been signed north and south. But as more of the northern loop opens up, the highway's profile is increasingly east and west. To reflect this, NCDOT planned to re-sign the highway in that direction in late 2002. [18]

This only forestalls the issue of what to do when the loop is completed: "east-west" is not a permanent solution. An NCDOT signing engineer is gathering a committee to determine the best convention for loop directions, which could be based on those in use on other beltways:

I-440, Raleigh Beltline: Inner and Outer. This was ruled out for the Outer Loop as too ambiguous ("take the inner Outer loop to US 64...")
I-485, Charlotte: change directions as the compass does, so clockwise traffic is East, then South, etc.
I-840, Greensboro: the southern half of the loop will be signed I-40/85, so 840 itself can be east-west throughout.

Originally, engineers planned I-540 to be signed north-south all the way around. [16

]

Sources

Route Log and Finder List - Interstate Highways, FHWA, Oct. 31, 2002.
Goudreau, Bob. "New 3-digit interstate for your web site." Personal email, Jan. 23, 1997.
"Dignitaries open I-540." Fort Smith Times-Record.
"Area hopes I-540 paved in solid gold: Most expensive rural road expected to boost economy." Fort Smith Times-Record.
Backlin, David
"Newest section of I-540 soon to offer rush-hour relief." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), Dec. 11, 1999.
"I-540 parts to join in a year." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), Nov. 8, 1999.
Droz, R. V.. "Route Numbering 4-7-00." Online posting, misc.transport.road, May 9, 2000.
mtrpost('US71'/540 Extension Complete May 17, 2000)
LeBlanc, Brian. "Another 5 miles of I-540 open." Online posting, misc.transport.road, June 29, 2001.
Brandenburg, T. "Raleigh's I-540 now 14 miles." Personal email, July 1, 2001.
LeBlanc, Brian. "I-540 NC notes." Personal email, July 26, 2001.
"New Outer Loop signs changing direction." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), April 9, 2002 (thanks to Bob Malme)
"Outer Loop section opens." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), Aug. 13, 2002 (thanks to Brian LeBlanc)
"New leg of Outer Loop opens." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), Aug. 13, 2002 (thanks to Brian LeBlanc and Capelron at AOL)
Lansford, John. "Re: New segment of I-540 in north Raleigh open." Post to misc.transport.road, Aug. 14, 2002.
"I-540 link to shift traffic." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), June 26, 2001.
Sachz, Harry
"Outer Loop work begins." News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), Sept. 8, 2003
"Project to extend interstate link." Wilmington [N. C.] Star, Jan. 13, 2004. (thanks to John Lansford via MTR)
"New I-540 Section To Offer Commuters More Options: Outer Loop To Soon Stretch From Capital Boulevard To Highway 64." WRAL-TV, Jan 7, 2004. (Thanks to John Lansford)
AASHTO SCOH. Report to the Special Committee on Route Numbering to the Executive Committee. April 21, 1996.
AASHTO SCOH. Report to the Special Committee on Route Numbering to the Executive Committee. April 27, 1997.
AASHTO SCOH. Report to the Special Committee on Route Numbering to the Executive Committee. Nov. 15, 1997.
AASHTO SCOH. Report to the Special Committee on Route Numbering to the Executive Committee. April 8, 2000.