Highway 86 is a mostly north-south highway in central Arkansas. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 63 east of Slovak. west of Slovak, it turns north at Highway 343 and continues north and west until it intersects U.S. Highway 70 east of Carlisle. North of U.S. 70, it continues for as Anderson Road before again becoming a state highway continuing east and north for before ending at Highway 38 east of Hickory Plains.
Route description
History
Highway 86 was created between Holly Grove and the current eastern terminus at Highway 20 on April 12, 1940. A second segment was created in 1953 between Slovak and Highway 11 in Prairie County. The route was extended over Highway 11 through Tollville on July 10, 1957 and east to Highway 33 on June 29, 1960. On April 24, 1963, both segments were extended westward, with the Prairie County section adding west of Slovak, and the Monroe County section extended northwest from Holly Grove to Highway 241 north of Clarendon. On June 23, 1965, the Prairie County section was extended north to the current western terminus at Screeton, and the third section of Highway 86 was designated between Hayley and a county road near Wattensaw Bayou. The northern of the Monroe County route was deleted in a swap to add length to Highway 146 on April 27, 1971, leaving the route to terminate at the current county road intersection. When the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 9 of 1973, county judges and legislators were directed to designate up to of county roads as state highways in each county. In accordance with the Act, Highway 86 was extended southerly on April 5, 1973. An earlier Highway 86 was created in the 1926 renumbering from US 71 just south of Gillham southwest to the Oklahomastate line. This route was removed in 1929, and is now known as Bellah Mine Road.
The highway began at U.S. Highway 71 approximately north of DeQueen and ran west approximately to the Arkansas–Oklahoma State Line.
History
Highway 86 was designated as one of the original state highways on April 1, 1926. This segment was deleted after September 1, 1928 and before September 1, 1929.
