Arkansas Highway 28


Arkansas Highway 28 is a designation for four state highways in west Arkansas. One segment of runs from the Oklahoma state line east to U.S. Route 71 north of Waldron. A second segment of runs from US 71 at Needmore east to Highway 27 at Rover. A third segment of runs from Highway 27 north of Rover east to Highway 10 in Ola. A fourth segment of runs from Highway 154 at Mt. George east to Highway 7 in Dardanelle. All four highways are rural, two-lane roads with relatively low traffic serving a sparsely populated and forested part of Arkansas. The highways are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

Route description

Oklahoma to Waldron

Highway 28 begins at the Oklahoma state line as a continuation of OK-128 and runs east, following an ecoregion boundary between the flat Arkansas River Valley and the Ouachita Mountains, as well as the Arkansas Southern Railroad tracks. The route runs east as a two-lane road through the Ouachita National Forest in a sparsely populated segment of oak-hickory-pine forest. Highway 28 passes the historic Bates School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The route continues east through Cauthron and Oliver before emerging from the Ouachita National Forest near Hon. In Hon, Highway 28 serves as the western terminus of Highway 80, before continuing east to US 71, where it terminates north of Waldron.

Needmore to Rover

The route begins at US 71 at Needmore in the Fourche Mountains south of Waldron in Scott County. The two-lane highway runs east along the long, east-west forested ridges of the Ouachita Mountains to Parks, where it passes the NRHP-listed Parks School. Continuing east, Highway 28 enters the Ouachita National Forest, bridges the Fourche La Fave River twice, and passes the unincorporated communities of Harvey and Nola before leaving the Ouachita National Forest and entering Yell County.
Entering in the southwestern part of Yell County, the route continues east through Gravelly and another crossing of the Fourche La Fave River before an intersection with Highway 307 at Bluffton. Highway 28 turns northeast and runs through Fourche Valley to Briggsville, where there is another intersection with Highway 307. The route begins skirting the edge of the Ouachita National Forest, passing through Wing to Highway 27 at Rover, where it terminates.

Rover to Ola

The route begins at Highway 27 north of Rover and runs east toward Plainview. Entering the city as Main Street, Highway 28 passes the former Plainview-Rover High School, post office, city hall, and the Plainview Medical Clinic before intersecting Highway 60. The route turns northward at this junction, leaving Plainview and passing through a rural area before entering the small city of Ola. Entering from the city's southwest corner, Highway 28 passes Lake Ola-Dale before coming to an intersection with Highway 7 and Highway 10, where it terminates.

Mt. George to Dardanelle

The route begins in eastern Yell County at Mt. George at an intersection with Highway 154 near the Petit Jean River Wildlife Management Area. The two-lane road runs northeast through the unincorporated community of Pigsah and rural areas to Dardanelle, the Yell County seat. Highway 28 runs along the city limits near Dardanelle High School before terminating at an intersection with Highway 7.

History

During the state highway numbering">List of state highways in Arkansas">state highway numbering, State Road 28 was designated from Oklahoma to Ola, largely along the present-day route, with a gap along US 71. The Highway 28 designation was duplicated when the Arkansas State Highway Commission designated a county road between Mount George and Dardanelle as a state highway on April 24, 1963. The Highway Commission initially sought to close the gap in Highway 28 around Waldron in May 1973 when a new location US 71 was being constructed around the city, but two months later rescinded the order and designated the former US 71 through Waldron as US 71B instead.