Interstate 430

Interstate 430 (often referred as “I-430” or “430”) serves as an alternative highway route connecting drivers between Interstate 30 to the south and Interstate 40 to the north. The route loops around the west side of Little Rock (Pulaski County). The interstate is roughly thirteen miles long traveling north and south. When it was completed in 1975, it became the fourth crossing over the Arkansas River for Little Rock. This interstate is maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).

Interstate 430 was one of the first five interstates in Arkansas commissioned under the Federal Highway Aid Act of 1956. This act called on the United States government to pay ninety percent of the construction cost of the interstates, leaving the individual states responsible for paying ten percent. It allowed Arkansas to begin construction on Interstate 30, Interstate 40, Interstate 55, Interstate 540, and Interstate 430.

Although it was commissioned first, Interstate 430 was the last interstate to be constructed in Arkansas under the Federal Highway Aid Act of 1956. The project was designed by Switzer and Associates of Little Rock and Baton Rouge and the Brighton Engineering Company from Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1966. Overseen by the Arkansas Highway Department, construction was estimated at $22 million, including the Interstate 430 bridge crossing over the Arkansas River. Construction began at the future junction with Interstate 30 and moved northward.

The first mile of the interstate opened in the summer of 1969. It received its official route number from the Federal Highway Administration as Route 430 on November 12, 1970. Construction on the Interstate 430 bridge, which was designed to accommodate over 50,000 vehicles daily, began in 1973. The overall construction project was completed in 1975.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in Arkansas filed a lawsuit over alleged insufficiencies in the Arkansas Environmental Impact Statement for the project. The case went to trial on September 16, 1974, and was settled on July 28, 1975, with a judge ruling that the Environmental Impact Statement was “inadequate particularly in the area of alternatives and alterations relating to the design of the project.”

Future plans for the interstate were mapped by city leaders to include additional development in Pulaski County. The major goal was to connect Interstate 430 in Crystal Hill (Pulaski County) to U.S. Highway 67; however, this plan never came to fruition. The interstate has received several upgrades, including the Big Rock Interchange with Interstate 630 in 2015 and the Managed Lane System (or a part-time shoulder) on the Interstate 430 Arkansas River Bridge in 2023.

For additional information:
517 Miles in Arkansas in Interstate System.” Arkansas Democrat, December 23, 1962, p. 6B.

“AHD Priority Given to Fourth Bridge-Bypass.” Arkansas Gazette, May 17, 1963, pp. 28A

Arkansas Department of Transportation. “I-430 Bridge Managed Lane Now Operational,” March 14, 2023. https://ardot.gov/news/i-430-bridge-managed-lane-now-operational/ (accessed May 29, 2026).

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Historical Review—Volume Two, 1913–2003, April 2004.

Brighton Engineering Company. “Arkansas State Highway Commission: Little Rock Bypass West, Arkansas River Bridge to Junction I-40, Preliminary Engineering Report,” 1967. Metroplan Records, 1955–1988 (UALR.MS.0204). Center for Arkansas History and Culture, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas. https://arstudies.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15728coll3/id/564952/rec/8 (accessed May 29, 2026).

“Bypass Change Rumors Spiked.” Arkansas Gazette, May 29, 1965, p. 2A.

Covington, Samuel, and Richard Magee. “Crystal Hill Hotel Development Feasibility Analysis,” January 1985. Metroplan Records, 1955–1988 (UALR.MS.0204). Center for Arkansas History and Culture, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas. https://arstudies.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15728coll3/id/564897/rec/1 (accessed May 29, 2026).

Fletcher, John L. “LR Businessmen Want Expressway Built with Tolls.” Arkansas Gazette, July 9, 1967, p. 1C.

“I-430 Section Open Today.” Arkansas Gazette, November 14, 1975, p. 14B.

“Interstate Bypass Route Undecided.” Arkansas Gazette, October 29, 1964, 3A.

Kloap, Danielle. “Big Rock Interchange Dedicated.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 8, 2015.

Metroplan. “Metroplan Area Planning Commission Comprehensive Development Plan,” 1990. Metroplan Records, 1955–1988 (UALR.MS.0204). Center for Arkansas History and Culture, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas. https://arstudies.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15728coll3/id/564732/rec/46 (accessed May 29, 2026).

“Maumelle Link Is among Pacts Awarded by AHC.” Arkansas Gazette, December 2, 1976, p. 11B.

McLaren, Christie. Arkansas Highway History and Architecture, 1910–1965. Little Rock: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, 1999.

Pendergrass, John T. “A Look at Arkansas Interstate: It Will be a Boon to Economy.” Arkansas Gazette, February 18, 1962, p. 2C.

“Planners Postpone Markham Rezoning.” Arkansas Gazette, October 8, 1965, p. 11A.

“Shape of Things to Come.” Arkansas Gazette, November 12, 1979, p. 3A.

U.S. Department of Transportation and Arkansas State Highway Department. “Environmental Impact Statement Interstate 630, Administrative Action,” 1972. Metroplan Records, 1955–1988 (UALR.MS.0204). Center for Arkansas History and Culture, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas. https://arstudies.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15728coll3/id/565060/rec/10 (accessed May 29, 2026).

“West Bypass Location Fixed but It’s Secret.” Arkansas Gazette, February 17, 1966, p. 2A.

James Wethington
UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture