UNION COUNTY | September 6, 2023

Join Arkansas Highway Commissioners, Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) leadership, and local dignitaries Tuesday, September 19 at 1 p.m. in El Dorado, as a portion of Highway 167 is dedicated in honor of former Arkansas Highway Commissioner Madison Murphy.

Murphy served on the Arkansas Highway Commission from 2003 to 2013, ending his term as Chairman of the Commission. Murphy has been a staunch advocate for improvements to the Arkansas Highway System, not only for his home region of southern Arkansas but for the entire state.

Murphy played a key role in promoting the importance of the 2012 temporary, half-cent sales tax that funded the Connecting Arkansas Program (CAP), one of the largest highway construction programs ever undertaken by ARDOT.

Highway 167, the primary north-south route carrying traffic through the south-central portion of Arkansas, benefited from several widening projects funded by the CAP. Because of Murphy’s advocacy for Highway 167 and the CAP, Highway 167 is now a four-lane connection between South and Central Arkansas, which increases safety and mobility. 

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Madison Murphy for making Highway 167 the major corridor it is today,” said ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor.  “His hard work was not limited to south Arkansas; he helped pave the way for improvements to the entire State Highway System.”

Nearly 100 miles of Highway 167 from Saline County to Union County will be named the “Madison Murphy Highway.”

The dedication event will be held at the Arkansas Welcome Center in El Dorado (3315 Junction City Highway, El Dorado, Arkansas 71730).

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