Interstate 540 (abbreviated I-540) in Arkansas is a spur to Fort Smith, Arkansas and Bentonville, Arkansas of Interstate 40; the Bentonville spur is proposed to become part of an expanded Interstate 49. Image File history File links Interstate_540. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 29th 137 732 km² 385 km 420 km 2. ... Fort Smith, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, is a city and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas. ... Bentonville is a city located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... Interstate 40 (abbreviated I-40) is a major west-east interstate highway in the United States. ... Interstate 49 (abbreviated I-49) is an intrastate interstate highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana, United States. ...

The older portion of I-540, completed in the 1970s, connects Interstate 40 to the Oklahoma State Line with Arkansas, going through Van Buren and Fort Smith. This particular spur starts at Exit 7 on Interstate 40 (being seven miles east of the state line with Oklahoma). That point marks mile zero on this spur. The first three miles are through Van Buren, before the bridge over the Arkansas River. The remainder, for a grand total of approximately 15 miles, travels through Fort Smith. What is notable about this is that the mile markers and exit numbers increase from north to south on this spur, and do exactly the opposite, increasing from south to north, on the newer spur (completed c. 1997), connecting Interstate 40 up through Bentonville. Even more interesting, the mileage numbers and exit signs on the newer spur start at 20, as if the zero point were at the Oklahoma state line (the southwest end of the older spur) - this should have meant that all of the exits on the older spur should have been renumbered to match, but this has not occurred (as of November, 2004). Interstate 40 (abbreviated I-40) is a major west-east interstate highway in the United States. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 20th 181,196 km² 355 km 645 km 1. ... Van Buren is a city located in Crawford County, Arkansas. ... Fort Smith, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, is a city and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas. ... Lower Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a tributary of the Mississippi which flows east and southeast through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and the state of Arkansas. ... Exit numbers on Interstate 4 in Volusia County, Florida. ...

The newer portion of I-540 was completed in the late 1990s and opened in 1999. Having been planned since the early 1970s, it created a bypass for the older US Highway 71. It starts at I-40 Exit 12 (12 miles east of the Oklahoma state line, or one mile west of Alma, Arkansas) and continues for over 65 miles, through Crawford County, Arkansas, Washington County, Arkansas and Benton County, Arkansas. Just north of the Crawford-Washington County line is the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, the only highway tunnel in Arkansas; its namesake (from Springdale) was the chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission during its construction. Notable cities along the route are Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville. From I-40 north to Fayetteville, I-540 runs roughly parallel to Highway 71. Just south of Fayetteville, I-540 combines with Highways 71 and 62, forming the major expressway through the Northwest Arkansas metro area (Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville). I-540 ends when Highway 62 exits just inside Bentonville; the expressway continues as Highway 71 to just north of Bentonville, where it then becomes the main street of Bella Vista several miles further to the Missouri border. US 71 (and US 62) are unsigned on the portions that are concurrent with I-540. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Alma is a town located in Crawford County in western Arkansas. ... Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. ... Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. ... Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. ... The Bobby Hopper Tunnel is a highway tunnel located on Interstate 540 in Arkansas, near the Crawford/Washington county line. ... Fayetteville is a city located in Washington County, Arkansas, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,047. ... Springdale is a city located in Washington and Benton counties in Arkansas. ... Rogers is a city located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... Bentonville is a city located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... Bella Vista is a census-designated place located in Benton County, Arkansas. ...

The state of Arkansas originally asked AASHTO to allow the Interstate segment between Fort Smith and Bentonville to be named Interstate 49, to emphasize plans to extend the route from Shreveport, Louisiana through Arkansas to Kansas City, Missouri. AASHTO refused, and the route opened in 1999 as a northern extension of I-540. Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 29th 137 732 km² 385 km 420 km 2. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Fort Smith, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, is a city and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas. ... Bentonville is a city located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... Interstate 49 (abbreviated I-49) is an intrastate interstate highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana, United States. ... Nickname: Motto: Official website: www. ... Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of the Nation Motto: Official website: http://www. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

A map showing the two disconnected pieces of the Interstate. Some refer to this as a bypass of the current Hwy 71 that runs through Bella Vista, AR. Many, especially truckers, in Arkansas and Missouri are desperate to see the highway fully connected and flowing due to current traffic congestion. Bella Vista is a census-designated place located in Benton County, Arkansas. ...

Another notable fact about I-540 in Arkansas is that the original I-540 spur running from I-540 to Oklahoma through Fort Smith was originally signed east-west, but with the construction of the new spur that runs north through the Northwest Arkansas metro area to Missouri the entire I-540 was resigned as a north-south road. It is one of the few that has changed this way.

Planners see I-540 overtaxed in future An article explaining the difference between the western bypass idea and the Bella Vista Bypass that is planned yet not started.