!-40 east from Little Rock to I-55 North

From OK City I 35 N to I 44 E to I270 N.... cross the Mississippi river I255 N to I 70 E.....Only way to go unless you want to go all the way to W. Memphis. If you did go all the way to I 55 you pick it up in West Memphis about 15 miles before you get into Memphis. You will never see Memphis, TN but I 40 across Arkansas can be BAD !!

thanks folks good info as usual.

BB_TX wrote:
Have not been that route of I-40 from Little Rock to Memphis since last year. But the same horror stories were about then. Decided to just grin and bear it. Pleasantly surprised. Yes there were lane closures. A stretch of a few miles of single lane each way. But traffic only slowed a little and we were thru it in a very short time.
Same on the return trip.
I would do it again if headed that way.

The only horror story that I remember from that stretch of highway was witnessing a reckless dually toy hauler doing 80+ miles an hour and blowing by everything in sight one crowded afternoon. That, and if you don't keep up with the traffic flow by at least driving 65 mph or so, your RV is creating a danger to yourself and others by driving too slow. Many RVers purposefully drive slow to save on fuel, only to endanger their lives on flat, wide-open Interstates with excellent visibility just to save a few bucks.

Dick_B wrote:
Recently towed from Springfield, MO to Little Rock on US 65 and it was the road from He**; many curves and hills, and two lane roads, that taxed my 6.0L Suburban. I will never get off an interstate while driving thru the Ozarks again; if I have a choice.

I just made that run in my 7 ton coach three weeks ago. Not too bad was my assessment of it.


So, how many miles out of your way would you have had to drive to get from Springfield, MO., to Little Rock, AR. using only Interstates?:h

Have not been that route of I-40 from Little Rock to Memphis since last year. But the same horror stories were about then. Decided to just grin and bear it. Pleasantly surprised. Yes there were lane closures. A stretch of a few miles of single lane each way. But traffic only slowed a little and we were thru it in a very short time.
Same on the return trip.
I would do it again if headed that way.

Recently towed from Springfield, MO to Little Rock on US 65 and it was the road from He**; many curves and hills, and two lane roads, that taxed my 6.0L Suburban. I will never get off an interstate while driving thru the Ozarks again; if I have a choice.

jgolden wrote:
We are planning on heading east from Oklahoma on I-40 through Little Rock to I-55 North. I understandI this route is bad news due to construction especially near Memphis and through Memphis. Is it possible to get to I- 55 north without major delays or is it just grin and bear it ?

We could head up to St Louis and then head East but not familiar with that area. How difficult a city is St Louis to get through headed east?

Thanks any info or opinions.

I used to live in Memphis, so I just drive through Memphis over the new (north) bridge, exit Danny Thomas Blvd., and go north to the first light and turn right on North Parkway Avenue, and go east through Memphis to Sam Cooper Blvd., which dumps out at I-40 in East Memphis (my old stompin' grounds);) and on to Nashville on I-40 lickety-split when I go there. No big deal to me.

At Conway, Arkansas on I-40, you can go across eastern Arkansas on 2-lane Hwy 64 to I-55 just above West Memphis, AR. Hwy 64 sits about 15 miles or so north of I-40 and runs parallel to it. My Brother made that run just two weeks ago.

Two weeks before that I made the run in my coach from North Little Rock, AR on I-40 after spending the night @ Camping World N. Little Rock right on I-40.

About 6 miles west of Forrest City, AR on I-40 eastbound, the Interstate is reduced to one lane, folks back up for miles, but the traffic moves at about 20 - 30 mph or so merging for miles.

I run the CB radio and got off @ exit #221 in Wheatley, AR. and dropped down 1.5 miles and got on US Hwy 70 which is two-lane also, and hauled a** all the way through Forrest City, and got back on @ Earle, AR I-40 exit - west of West Memphis, AR. when I was headed to Memphis, TN for a few days.

On the way back west - piece of cake reduced to one-lane through Forrest City going westbound. It is the eastbound I-40 that slows for miles figuring out they need to merge to one lane.

OTOH, you could jut over to US Hwy 67 @ Conway, AR., and run that up into Missouri for a more scenic drive through NE Arkansas.

Good luck!

I am very familiar with st louis, and in my opinion it is much easier to get around than Memphis is. My guess is that you will be coming in on I44. you will then take I270 either north or south depending on the time of day you get here. If you are here between 6 and 10AM you will want to take I270 south, if between 3 and 6 PM then you are going to want to take I270 north. Any time in between these high congestion times I recommend going I270 south which turns into I255 which will be the least time spent in high traffic. From I255 you can get to I40, 44, 55, and 70 on the Illinois side of st louis. If you want more detailed information PM me and I will gladly help you with more specific instructions.