{{short description|State highway in Arkansas, United States}} {{Use American English|date=March 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox road |state=AR |type=AR |route=244 |map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Arkansas Highway 244}}}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=AR 244 highlighted in red |formed=June 28, 1961<ref name="for">{{cite web |url=https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo53-69.pdf |title= Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission |date= 1953–1969 |publisher=Arkansas State Highway Commission |location=Little Rock |access-date= December 6, 2021 |oclc= 21798861 |ref={{harvid|"Minutes"|1953–69}} |pages = 1211–1212}}</ref> |length_mi1=0.593 |length_ref1=<ref name="wasras" /> |direction_a1=West |direction_b1=East |terminus_a1={{jct|state=OK|SH|51}} at the Oklahoma state line near Stilwell, OK |terminus_b1={{jct|state=AR|AR|59}} near Tolu |length_mi2=6.704 |length_ref2=<ref name="wasras">{{Cite map |sections= |publisher= Arkansas Department of Transportation |title= State Highway Route and Section Map, Washington County |cartography=GIS Section |location= Little Rock |url=https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Washington_RAS.pdf |date=September 17, 2021 |scale= 1:62,500 |accessdate= December 6, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="benras">{{Cite map |sections= |publisher= Arkansas Department of Transportation: Transportation Planning and Policy Division |title= State Highway Route and Section Map, Benton County |cartography=GIS Section |location= Little Rock |url=https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Benton_RAS.pdf |date=November 23, 2021 |scale= 1:62,500 |accessdate= December 6, 2021 }}</ref> |direction_a2=West |direction_b2=East |terminus_a2={{jct|state=AR|AR|59}} near Cincinnati |terminus_b2={{jct|state=AR|AR|16}} near Wedington |counties=Benton, Washington |previous_type=AR |previous_route=243 |next_type=AR |next_route=245 }}
'''Highway 244''' ('''AR 244''', '''Ark. 244''', and '''Hwy. 244''') is a designation for two state highways in Northwest Arkansas. Both segments are low volume, two-lane roadways in rural areas. The first segment was created in 1961, with the second designated in 1973 and extended through 1975. Both segments are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).
==Route description== ArDOT maintains both segments of AR 244 as part of the state highway system. ArDOT estimates the traffic level for a segment of roadway was highest near the Oklahoma state line, estimated at 1,100 vehicles per day in 2019, on average. The other segment was estimated at 420 VPD.<ref>{{Cite map |author = System Information & Research Division |publisher = Arkansas Department of Transportation |title = Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates |url = https://ardot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8deb09579210490bafb97bd03c3c0792 |year = 2019 |access-date = November 28, 2021 }}</ref> For reference, roads under 400 VPD are classified as "very low volume local road" by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).<ref>{{Cite book |author = American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |title = Guidelines for Geometric Design of Low-Volume Roads |publisher = American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |year = 2019 |edition = 2nd |location = Washington, DC |pages = 2–8 |oclc = 1140203768 |isbn = 978-1-56051-726-9 }}</ref>
Neither segment of AR 244 is part of the National Highway System (NHS),<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Road-Log-Database.zip |title = Arkansas Road Log Database |author = Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department |year = 2015 |publisher = Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department |format = MDB |access-date = March 27, 2016 }}</ref> a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.<ref name=NHS>{{cite web |first1 = Stefan |last1 = Natzke |first2 = Mike |last2 = Neathery |first3 = Kevin |last3 = Adderly |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |title = What is the National Highway System? |work = National Highway System |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |date = June 29, 2017 |access-date = July 15, 2018 |name-list-style = amp }}</ref>
===Section 1=== Highway 244 begins at the Oklahoma state line in Washington County north of the unincorporated community of Evansville. The roadway continues west as Oklahoma State Highway 51 (SH-51). AR 244 continues east for less than a mile to terminate at AR 59.<ref name="was">{{Cite map |sections= |publisher= Arkansas Department of Transportation: Transportation Planning and Policy Division |title= General Highway Map, Washington County, Arkansas |location= Little Rock |url=https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WashingtonCounty.pdf |orig-year=October 21, 2010 |date=January 17, 2019 |edition=Revised |scale= 1:62,500 |oclc=919734758 |access-date= December 6, 2021 }}</ref>
===Section 2=== [[File:Arkansas 244.jpg|thumb|Eastern terminus of AR 244 at Arkansas Highway 16]] The second segment of AR 244 begins north of the unincorporated community of Cincinnati in Washington County at AR 59 and runs east. The route shifts north slightly to run along the Benton County line until terminating at AR 16 near the unincorporated community of Wedington on the border of the Ozark National Forest.<ref name="was" /><ref name="ben">{{Cite map |sections= |publisher= Arkansas Department of Transportation: Transportation Planning and Policy Division |title= General Highway Map, Benton County, Arkansas |location= Little Rock |url=https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/BentonCounty.pdf |orig-year=July 23, 2010 |date=November 10, 2021 |edition=Revised |scale= 1:62,500 |oclc=908949212 |access-date= December 6, 2021 }}</ref>
==History== The Arkansas State Highway Commission created the AR 244 designation between Oklahoma and AR 59 on June 28, 1961. At the time, the western terminus was SH-100.<ref name="for" />
In 1973, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 9 of 1973. The act directed county judges and legislators to designate up to 12 miles (19 km) of county roads as state highways in each county.<ref>{{ cite book |author=Government Relations Office |title= Development of Highway and Transportation Legislation in Arkansas |page= 1 |publisher= Arkansas Department of Transportation |location= Little Rock |year= 2018 |accessdate= December 6, 2021 |url= https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dev-Hwy-Legislation-2018.pdf }}</ref> One of the highways designated under this act was a second segment of AR 244 created on March 28, 1973. The state highway designation supplanted a county road from AR 16 west to Benton County Route 1 (CR 1, Nokes Farm Road).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ardot.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo70-79.pdf |title= Minutes of the Meeting of the Arkansas State Highway Commission |date= 1970–1979 |publisher=Arkansas State Highway Commission |location=Little Rock |access-date= November 21, 2021 |oclc= 21798861 |ref={{harvid|"Minutes"|1970–79}} |page= 1117 }}</ref> Three months later, the designation was extended west to Washington County Route 25 (CR 25, Cincinnati Creek Road).<ref>{{harvp|"Minutes"|1970–79|p= 1197}}.</ref> On January 8, 1975 the Highway Commission extended AR 244 to AR 59, the current western terminus.<ref>{{harvp|"Minutes"|1970–79|p= 769}}.</ref>
==Major intersections== {{jcttop|length_ref=<ref name="wasras" /><ref name="benras" />}} {{ARint |county=Washington |cspan=4 |location=none | mile=0.000 | road=End state maintenance, road continues as {{jct|state=OK|SH|51}} | notes=Western terminus}} {{ARint |location=none | mile=0.593 | road={{jct|state=AR|AR|59|city1=Fayetteville|city2=Van Buren}} | notes=Eastern terminus}} {{jctgap}} {{ARint | location=none | mile=0.000 | road={{jct|state=AR|AR|59}} | notes=Western terminus}} {{ARint | county1=Washington |county2=Benton | mile=6.704 | location=none | road={{jct|state=AR|AR|16}} | notes=Eastern terminus}} {{Jctbtm}}
==See also== *{{Portal-inline|U.S. roads}} {{clear}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Attached KML|display=title,inline}} {{commons category-inline|Arkansas Highway 244}}
244 Category:Transportation in Washington County, Arkansas Category:Transportation in Benton County, Arkansas