Arkansas Highway 242

Arkansas Highway 242 (AR 242, Hwy. 242) is an east–west state highway in Phillips County, Arkansas. The route of 14.74 miles (23.72 km) runs from Highway 44 near Helena-West Helena north through the city and through the St. Francis National Forest to Highway 1 near Lexa.^[2] A segment of the route is part of the Mississippi River Trail, essentially a bicycle-friendly version of the Great River Road.^[3]

Highway 242
Route information
Maintained by ArDOT
Length	14.74 mi[1] (23.72 km)
Tourist routes	Crowley's Ridge Parkway
Major junctions
West end	AR 1 west of Lexa
Major intersections	US 49, Helena-West Helena
East end	AR 44 south of Helena-West Helena
Location
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Counties	Phillips
Highway system
Arkansas Highway System Interstate US State Business Spurs Suffixed Scenic Heritage
← AR 241 → AR 243

Route description

AR 242 begins at AR 1 west of Lexa and heads east through town as 1st Street. It crosses over Lick Creek and passes by Thompson-Robbins Airport. The route then intersects its only spur route near the St. Francis National Forest before turning to the southeast. The route then intersects AR 185 before entering West Helena. It passes by the Denison House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and at the intersection of Plaza Avenue, the route runs concurrently with US 49B for 0.1 miles (0.16 km).^[2] It then goes southeast on Sebastian Street, running concurrent with another route of AR 185 until reaching South 7th on Russell. The route then intersects another route of AR 185 by the Helena Country Club and then intersects US 49 (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive^[4]), a four-lane divided highway, at an at-grade intersection in the south part of the city. The highway then turns to the southwest and reaches its eastern terminus at AR 44.

Beginning from the end of the Highway 1 to the US 49B concurrency, the route is designated as part of the Mississippi River Trail, a 3,000 miles (4,800 km) bike route from New Orleans to Minnesota along the Mississippi River.^[3]

Major intersections

Mile markers reset at concurrencies. The entire route is in Phillips County.

Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Lexa Junction	10.15	16.33	AR 1 – Walnut Corner, Marianna	Western terminus
Helena-West Helena	2.19	3.52	CR 217 / Crowley's Ridge Pkwy. north (St. Francis Scenic Byway / AR 242S) – Storm Creek Lake Recreation Area
	1.75	2.82	AR 185 south
	0.00	0.00	US 49B south / Crowley's Ridge Pkwy. south (Plaza Street) to AR 185 south	West end of US 49B overlap
	4.59	7.39	US 49B north – Brinkley, Memphis	East end of US 49B overlap
	3.32	5.34	AR 185 north
	3.08	4.96	US 49 – Clarksdale, MS, Brinkley
​	0.00	0.00	AR 44 / Great River Road	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Spur route

Storm Creek Road
Location	north of West Helena
Length	0.11 mi[1] (180 m)

Arkansas Highway 242 Spur (AR 242S, Hwy. 242S, or Storm Creek Road) is a spur route in the St. Francis National Forest. It is 0.11 miles (0.18 km) in length.

See also

United States portal U.S. Roads portal