Interstate 630

Interstate 630 (I-630) in Arkansas is an east–west connector within Little Rock. It is also known as the Wilbur D. Mills Freeway and starts at I-30, U.S. Route 65, U.S. 67 and U.S. 167 traveling west through downtown Little Rock to I-430 and Chenal Parkway.[2][3]

Interstate 630
Eisenhower Memorial Highway
I-630 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-30
Maintained by ArDOT
Length7.400 mi[1] (11.909 km)
ExistedSeptember 30, 1985[2]–present
Major junctions
West end I-430 / Chenal Parkway in Little Rock
 
East end I-30 / US 65 / US 67 / US 167 in Little Rock
Location
CountiesPulaski
Highway system
← AR 612AR 818 →

History

The project was first conceived in the 1930s, and was first planned by the Pulaski County Planning Board in their 1941 report.[4] After the having many higher powers denying their plans construction was started by the city of Little Rock in the 1960s as the east–west Expressway or 8th Street Expressway and was not originally an Interstate or an Arkansas state highway.[2] In the 1970s, U.S. Rep. Wilbur D. Mills (D-AR) was responsible for the route's addition to the Interstate system by rounding down the mileage allocations of all other states, then adding the rounding differences to Arkansas's total; this kept the total nationwide allocation within the original limit of 42,500 miles (68,400 km).[2]

After it was added to the Interstate system, Little Rock initially renamed it for Mills; however, when the Arkansas State Highway Department (AHTD) formally brought it into the state highway system as required by Arkansas law, they removed the name, as their policy at the time prohibited the naming of state highways after individuals. The AHTD later changed its policy and re-adopted the Mills name early in the new millennium. As of Autumn, 2019, the highway is now named "Gold Star Families Memorial Highway."

The highway connects burgeoning West Little Rock to the downtown core.[5] It feeds into I-430, a north–south route which serves western Little Rock.[2]

Exit list

The entire route is in Little Rock, Pulaski County.

mi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
0.000.00139 I-30 / US 65 / US 67 / US 167 – North Little Rock, TexarkanaEastbound exit and westbound entrance; eastern terminus and signed as exits 139A (east) and 139B (west); exit nos. correspond to I-30
115th StreetEastbound left exit and westbound entrance
0.460.741AMain Street, Center Street
0.741.191B US 70 (Broadway) / Center StreetUS 70 not signed
1.101.772AChester Street
1.452.332BDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Marshall Street
2.433.913AWoodrow Street
3.806.123BPine Street / Cedar Street
5.008.054Fair Park Boulevard
5.488.825University AvenueSigned as exits 5A (north) and 5B (south) westbound; second westbound entrance from McKinley Avenue
5.809.336ARodney Parham Road / Mississippi Avenue
6.2510.066BBarrow Road
6.8210.987Baptist HealthEastbound access via Chenal Parkway
7.4011.918 I-430 – Texarkana, North Little RockSigned as exits 8A (north) and 8B (south); eastbound access via Chenal Parkway; I-430 exit 6
8CShackleford Road / Markham Street / Kanis RoadEastbound access via Chenal Parkway
–Chenal ParkwayContinuation west
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

KML is from Wikidata
  1. Planning and Research Division (2010). "Arkansas Road Log Database". Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Archived from the original (Database) on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  2. Bill Stanton, ed. (Winter 1985). "Final Section of I-630 opens in Little Rock" (PDF). Arkansas Highways. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 31: 8. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. Route and Section Map, Pulaski County Supplemental Sheet (PDF) (Map). Cartography by Planning and Research Division. Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. Bill Stanton, ed. (1985). "I-630 History: "A dream becomes a reality"". Arkansas Highways (PDF). 31 (Winter ed.). Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. p. 10. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  5. https://arktimes.com/news/cover-stories/2011/01/26/wilbur-mills-wall
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