Oklahoma, Arkansas working on plan to convert US 412 into interstate

Oklahoma and Arkansas are working on a plan that will ultimately convert U.S. 412 into an interstate connecting Interstate 35 north of Perry to Interstate 49 in Springdale, Arkansas.

The new highway designation, expected to be tagged as Interstate 412, won’t happen quickly. Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesperson T.J. Gerlach said studies and public meetings started earlier this year in response to a mandate to create the interstate included in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden.

“We expect this to take a couple of decades for the full corridor,” Gerlach said. “Arkansas has to look at rerouting the corridor north or south of Siloam Springs. Right now, it’s Main Street in Siloam Springs. There is no way for Arkansas to convert that into an interstate.”

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An initial project would update a 27-mile stretch of U.S. 412 from Interstate 44 to the Cherokee Turnpike to raise it to "interstate standards." Sections of that stretch of highway near Inola have limited shoulder lanes and at-grade crossings.

Other portions of the longer-term effort to turn U.S. 412 into an interstate, notably the Cimarron Turnpike between Tulsa and I-35, will not require major changes.

A report by consultant HTNB estimated the conversion of that 27-mile stretch will cost $130 million to add 14 grade separations, eight new interchanges, six new overpasses, bridge modifications, resurfacing and new ramps.

“The interstate upgrade needed for interstate status are primarily focused on safety, getting rid of at-grade interchanges with county roads and driveways,” Gerlach said.

Oklahoma saw its first new interstate designations in more than 40 years when the state in April added the John Kilpatrick Turnpike as Interstate 344 and the Kickapoo Turnpike as Interstate 335.

The infrastructure bill did not include funding for the required U.S. 412 upgrade. Gerlach said the upgrades likely will be addressed through the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s annually updated eight-year plan of projects.

“Several of the projects are in Rogers and Mayes County,” Gerlach said. “Some are already programed as part of the eight-year plan. But as we proceed with these upgrades, they will all be scheduled through the eight-year plan.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma, Arkansas working on plan to convert US 412 into interstate