In Arkansas, you'll find an array of unique roads with names that stand out from the norm. Take Acorn Kid Loop in Conway (Faulkner County) and Wuthering Heights Lane in Texarkana (Miller County) for instance—not your typical road names! There’s also the curious Damerham Road in Bella Vista (Benton County); really, what's up with the aversion to a woman’s ham? Many of these streets honor the families that were among the first to settle in the area, like Kiehl Avenue in my hometown of Sherwood (Pulaski County). Others weave tales of local legends and history, such as Dollarway Road in Jefferson County.
Dollarway Road boasts not only a unique name but also serves as a testament to Arkansas's early efforts in automobile road construction during the early 1900s. The road got its name from the costs associated with its construction, which we'll explore shortly. Once finished, Dollarway Road earned the title of the longest continuous concrete pavement in the country and helped to pave the way for Arkansas’s adoption of reinforced concrete in bridge building.
In 1896, Arkansas’s Good Road Movement sprang into action, largely driven by the enthusiasm of local bicyclists. This energy led to the establishment of the Good Roads League of Arkansas. The main goal during this era was to improve road conditions and secure necessary funding for various road projects. By 1907, the state legislature had created road improvement districts—locally managed entities that had the power to determine road placements and financing. Among them, Road Improvement District No. 4 took charge of the Dollarway project.
It's said that the Dollarway got its name from the original construction cost of one dollar per linear foot. However, the actual expense clocked in closer to $1.36 per foot. In July 1913, Little Rock contractors Shelby & Bateman were chosen to build a nearly twenty-three-mile stretch running from Pine Bluff to the Jefferson County line. Property owners along this route were expected to contribute to the construction costs, which sparked some dissent; yet, the issue was resolved amicably, as the individual assessment turned out to be quite manageable.
For the nearly nine-foot-wide road, concrete with a bituminous coating was chosen as the material. The design also featured four reinforced concrete bridges. The contractor concluded that concrete was a more cost-effective solution and more durable than the traditional packed stone paving, known locally as “macadam.” Construction kicked off in November 1913 and completed in October 1914.
The system for improving roads in the Dollarway Road area was implemented, but it didn’t quite work as intended. In 1913, the Arkansas Highway Commission discovered numerous problems with this district system, particularly pointing out a lack of oversight and inadequate personnel training. By 1915, the commission faced a range of difficulties, including allegations of power abuse. That same year, the state legislature enacted the Alexander Road Law, allowing residents along specific routes to set up road improvement districts. This legislative change, combined with the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916—designed to enhance post roads—led to the establishment of around 500 road improvement districts across Arkansas by 1921. A subsequent Federal Aid Road Act introduced in 1921 mandated that state highway departments oversee all road construction projects to address ongoing issues. It wasn’t until the Martineau Road Act of 1927 that the responsibility for funding road construction shifted from property owners to actual road users.
There are no signs to mark Dollarway Road, though you can still spot some remnants of the original route, mainly swallowed up by the modern Highway 365. A portion of the road near Redfield was recognized for its historical significance and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 17, 1974. The nomination was expanded in July 1999 to include a segment of Dollarway Road that remains functional today as Reynolds Road. This stretch also features two original concrete bridges from the Dollarway era.
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