New state highway map shows 134 changes

Except for the new cover, the 2012 Arkansas highway map, at first glance, seems little different from the old map.

The cover features a photograph of Arkansas 35 in Grant County. But the new map contains 134 other changes, large and small.

Sharon Hawkins, head of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department’s mapping and graphics section, said the number of changes are “fairly typical” and generally reflect small changes to state highways as a result of construction projects.

“The map kind of looks the same every year, but a lot of stuff can happen,” she said. “You need a list to find it all.”

The department produced the map under the direction of its cartographer supervisor, Lydell Harris, before shipping it to Universal Printing of St. Louis, the low bidder for the contract.

The company was paid $111,300 to print 1 million maps, which will be available across the state free of charge, said David Nilles, an agency spokesman.

The latest edition of the map, first printed in 1933, added the Hot Spring County community of Landers, which is south of Malvern.

Landers raises to 1,377 the number of towns named on the map, Hawkins said. Of those, 502 are incorporated, she said.

The map no longer includes a mailing address panel because it is a feature that hasn’t been used for several years, Hawkins said. Eliminating that feature allowed sepa-

rate panels for photographs of and messages from Gov. Mike Beebe and the Arkansas Highway Commission. Previously, the governor and commission were squeezed onto the same panel.

The looks of some cities changed, a reflection of increases or declines in populations.

Batesville, in Independence County, now has a yellowshaded city limit and a new town circle symbol, a reflection that its population is more than 10,000. The city limit shading, meanwhile, was removed from Stuttgart in Arkansas County and the Newport/Diaz area in Jackson County because their populations fell below 10,000.

Hot Springs Village, meanwhile, got a new symbol — a black circle with a cross in it — to represent an unincorporated area with a population exceeding 10,000. The change came at the village’s request, Hawkins said.

At the request of the Arkansas Department of Correction, the map now notes correctional facilities in Jefferson, Lincoln, Miller and Saline counties.

The inset map of Little Rock, among others, had some significant changes.

Ray Winder Field, for instance, no longer is reflected on the map as a result of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences completing its purchase of the ballpark last year. Dickey-Stephens Park replaced Ray Winder as the home of the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team in 2007.

Gone, too, is the Aerospace Education Center. It closed in early 2011.

The printing schedule was late enough for the map to include the newly named Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field. It was formerly known as Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field.

The maps may be obtained at any of the department’s district headquarters and at all Arkansas welcome centers.

They are also available at the agency’s central office at 10324 Interstate 30 in Little Rock and can be ordered by phone at (501) 569-2444 or online at arkansashighways.com. To request one by mail, the address is Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, Map Sales Section, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Ark. 72203.

Other features include insets of 23 Arkansas cities, a chart showing mileage between cities and a directory of publicrecreation areas featuring state parks and historic memorials, National Park sites, National Forest recreation areas and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers parks.

The map also includes information on the *55 program of the Arkansas State Police, which allows motorists to use cell phones to dial *55 to reach the nearest state police dispatcher.