The promise of Interstate 49 was that it would speed traffic going from Kansas City to New Orleans and points in between, including Texarkana.
But the construction of I-49 itself hasn't been all that speedy.
Right now, the northern part of highway begins south of Kansas City and continues to Pineville, just north of the Arkansas state line. It picks up from Bella Vista, Ark., and runs to to Alma, Ark.
It picks up again north of Texarkana and continues on to I-220 in Shreveport before resuming as I-49 to Lafayette, La.
That's a lot of miles. But construction on I-49 began in Louisiana in 1981. That's a lot of years.
While work is continuing to complete the highway from Texarkana to Lafayette, the major portion through Arkansas is still a dream. On Wednesday, the Arkansas Department of Transportation told the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority that studies should begin in the fall on the proposed route from Alma, Ark., to Barling, Ark.-a distance of about 17 miles.
Consider this: The initial Interstate Highway System, authorized in 1956, took just 35 years to build multiple highways covering more than 42,000 miles. Work on I-49 alone has been going on 37 years.
Yeas, we understand things are different today. Both costs and environmental awareness-which means more costs-are higher today. And we are talking limited government funds.
Those excuses are wearing thin. The government can find plenty of other things to spend money on-as our national debt plainly shows. And we suspect most readers never see any benefit from most of that money. The I-49 project has already benefited millions and will benefit millions more upon completion. Why isn't it on the front burner?
We have been waiting a long time. And it looks like we are going to be waiting a lot longer.