End of US highway 165 |
1926-1938
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1938-1982
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1982-present
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US 165 has been around since the beginning in 1926. Its south end has always been in the town of Iowa, Louisiana, although originally traffic came in from the north along Thompson Avenue (which is now LA hwy. 383). As shown on this map, after passing through Iowa, US 165 ended at its junction with US 90:
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US 165 ends at a "Y" intersection with US 90, which is just visible running across the background of those last photos. The interchange with I-10 is about a mile behind the camera. These shots show the signs on US 90 at the south beginning of US 165 (from both eastbound and westbound, respectively):
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For drivers who make that turn to the north, the first confirming assembly looks like this...
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...but that was posted on the east branch of the "Y", so traffic coming from eastbound US 90 (and therefore using the west branch of the "Y") never sees that sign. The next reference to US 165 is about a mile ahead, just shy of the I-10 interchange:
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Originally the north end of US 165 was at its junction with US 65 in McGehee, although today's US 65 across the north and east edges of town had not yet been built. Instead, US 65 went through the business district on 1st Street, and then left town via what is now AR hwy. 4, or Crooked Bayou Drive:
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This next photo was looking north on what is now Owl Street where it ends at Crooked Bayou. Today US 65 runs just to the west (left) of Owl. But at the time of this photo, US 65 ran along Crooked Bayou, so this photo showed the perspective of a driver at the north end of US 165:
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In more recent times, Arkansas has applied for and received several of what could be considered frivolous US highway extensions... and US 165 is one of them. At their Oct. 1981 meeting, AASHTO approved an extension of US 165 north through McGehee to Dumas, via a 24-mile overlap with US 65. From there, US 165 splits off again, runs through DeWitt, Stuttgart, and England, and then to its current terminus at US 70 in North Little Rock:
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Research and/or photo credits: James Allen; David Backlin; Nathan Edgars; Karin and Martin Karner; Steven Nelson; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2000;
last updated Jul. 13, 2020.
last updated Jul. 13, 2020.