Arkansas Highway 112 (AR 112) is a north–south

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

Northwest Arkansas Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozarks. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers, ...

. The route runs from Highway 16S in Fayetteville north to Highway 12 in Bentonville.

Route description

Highway 112 begins at Highway 16S (Wedington Drive) in Fayetteville just north of the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

campus. The route continues as an important artery through the city. The highway serves as the southern terminus of US 71B at an interchange with

I-49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line, three ne ...

/ US 62/

US 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Intersta ...

. Highway 112 continues north to Tontitown as Maestri Road, intersecting US 412 in Tontitown. Continuing north through Elm Springs as Elm Street, the route enters Benton County. Highway 112 runs north in a brief concurrency with Highway 264 in Cave Springs before entering Bentonville and terminating at Highway 12 near the

Bentonville Municipal Airport Bentonville Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located south of the central business district of Bentonville, a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. It is also known as Louise M. Thaden Field or Louise Thaden F ...

History

Highway 112 was one of the original 1926 state highways. The original Highway 112 was unpaved and ran from Arkansas Highway 16 in Fayetteville north to an area south of

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

. The route was paved in 1948, and extended north to Bentonville in 1951. The Cave Springs to Highway 12 segment was paved at the time of addition, with the entire length becoming paved by 1956. Highway 112S was created in 1971 from a segment of Highway 16. In the early 2000s, an agreement between the ARDOT, City of Fayetteville, and

to widen Highway 112 to four lanes between Highway 16 (15th Street) and I-49 came into place. Construction began in 2006 between North Street (Highway 112S) to Janice Street and continued intermittently over the years as funding came available. As part of the agreement, ARDOT would build and pay for the widening projects, with Fayetteville accepting the road under city maintenance and control after the widening was complete. The University would maintain landscaping throughout the segment crossing the campus of the University of Arkansas. The route was truncated to its current northern terminus in February 2012, the route formerly continued along Highway 12 and US 71B to terminate at Highway 72 in Bentonville. The route closely follows the same path it did during the Civil War and is designated as part of the Arkansas Civil War Trail. Highway 112 is also designated as part of the Arkansas Trail of Tears northern route.

Future

As traffic increased on I-49, Highway 112 became a shortcut to avoid the interstate. However, the route quickly became congested itself due to the growing population of Bentonville and the desire to find a quicker route to reach the

Northwest Arkansas National Airport Northwest Arkansas National Airport in Northwest Arkansas is a public-use airport located in Benton County, Arkansas, serving the rapidly growing Northwest Arkansas region, northwest of Fayetteville and northwest of Springdale. Since its op ...

. As a result, the

Arkansas Department of Transportation The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, is a government department in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its mission is to provide a safe, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and env ...

(ArDOT) has made plans to widen a stretch of the route between US 412 in Tontitown to its northern terminus at Highway 12 in Bentonville. In late-September 2023, the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

(FHA) approved ArDOT's request for a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), allowing them to begin right-of-way acquisition for the widening of the roadway. The project will expand Highway 112 from two to four lanes with a raised median, curb and gutter, a sidewalk on one side of the highway and a side path on the other side of the highway. At least eight roundabouts will also be constructed. Construction is set to begin in 2025; a completion date has not been announced yet. Another stretch of Highway 112 south of the US 412 intersection will also be widened in the same way, although this will be a separate project from the widening project to the north of US 412.

Major intersections

References

External links