U.S. Route 412

U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from 5 mi east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to 8 mi west of the Arkansas state line. It runs the entire length of the Oklahoma Panhandle and traverses the Missouri Bootheel.

, the highway's eastern terminus is in Columbia, Tennessee at an intersection with Interstate 65, where it continues east as State Route 99. Its western terminus is in Springer, New Mexico at an intersection with Interstate 25.

Even though the number “412” would indicate that U.S. 412 is a spur route of U.S. 12, the two highways never connect because U.S. 12 runs far more north than U.S. 412. Even though U.S. 412 is a three-digit highway, it is still considered part of the double-digit U.S. Highway System.

Route description
US 412 overlaps with U.S. 43, U.S. 56, US 60, U.S. 62, U.S. 63, U.S. 64, U.S. 65, I-155, and U.S. 270, runs parallel to U.S. 62 and U.S. 64 in various places and intersects U.S. 70.

New Mexico
The highway begins at mile marker 412 of Interstate 25 in Springer. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 56 throughout its entire route in the state at just under 100 mi. Besides Springer, the only other town Route 412 passes through is Clayton, where it merges with U.S. Route 64. Just before entering Oklahoma, the highway touches the northwestern corner of Texas at a small road junction.

Oklahoma
Highway 412 runs across the Panhandle and northern part of the state passing through cities such as Boise City, Woodward, Enid, and Tulsa. Some major highway junctions include Interstate 35 in Noble County and several others in Tulsa such as I-44, 244, 444, and U.S. Routes 75 and 169. Two sections of this highway are tolled: the Cimarron Turnpike (from I-35 to the western outskirts of Tulsa), and the Cherokee Turnpike (from near Chouteau to about 10 mi west of the Arkansas border).

Arkansas
The Arkansas section starts at the Oklahoma line, runs through the scenic Ozark Mountains in the northern part of Arkansas, and leaves the state at the Missouri Bootheel. Cities along the route include Siloam Springs, Springdale, Alpena, Harrison, Cotter, Mountain Home, Salem, Walnut Ridge, and Paragould. In Harrison, U.S. Route 412 is concurrent with both US 62 and US 65.

Northwest Arkansas
In the state's northwest corner, the route enters Arkansas. In Benton County, the route serves Siloam Springs as a major route through the southern part of the city. US 412 has a concurrency with Highway 59 that ends in east Siloam Springs. US 412 becomes four-lane and runs east to enter Washington County. The route enters Tontitown, passes the historic Tontitown School Building, and intersects Highway 112 before entering Springdale. US 412 crosses I-49/US 62/US 71 in Springdale, where the route is four-lane with a center left-turn lane. Now named Sunset Avenue, the route passes through developed parts of Springdale, including many restaurants, hotels, and businesses before turning south, forming a concurrency with US 71B. The concurrency ends and US 412 heads east past the Springdale Municipal Airport and Highway 265 out of town. Again becoming four-lane divided, the route winds east to Hindsville.

The route nears Hindsville, including an intersection with a former alignment now designated US 412B. The community was bypassed in 2009 with a four-lane alignment of US 412. US 412 continues east, winding through forested land. Near Huntsville, the highway intersects another business route and Highway 23 before entering Carroll County.

Concurrencies with US 62 and US 63
The highway has a brief overlap with Highway 21 in the southwest corner of the county, and has junctions with many rural routes in Carroll County. The highway passes the James C. Chaney House and Stamps Store in Osage, the Dog Branch School, and the Yell Masonic Lodge Hall in Carrollton. In Alpena, US 412 begins a concurrency with US 62. This overlap is approximately 150 mi through many north central Arkansas communities, including Harrison, Cotter, Mountain Home, Ash Flat, and Hardy. In Imboden, US 412 breaks from US 62 north, now concurrent with US 63 until 2 miles east of Portia.



Northeast Arkansas
After the concurrency ends, US 412 runs due east to through downtown Walnut Ridge. US 412 runs near the Old Walnut Ridge Post Office, Missouri-Pacific Depot, and the Walnut Ridge Commercial Historic District, each on the National Register of Historic Places. Further east, the route intersects US 67 (Future I-57) at a full interchange before crossing the Cache River and entering Greene County. Historically, the route passed over the water on the Cache River Bridge, but the 1934 Parker pony truss bridge was bypassed in 1995. The highway runs due east, intersecting Highway 228, Highway 141, and Highway 168 (which gives access to Crowley's Ridge State Park) before Paragould. US 412 runs as Kings Hwy in Paragould, passing the Linwood Mausoleum, US 49B, Highway 69, and Highway 135 in the city limits. The route continues east across the St. Francis River, entering Missouri.

Missouri
U.S. 412 crosses Missouri on its Bootheel, and runs concurrent with Interstate 155 east of Hayti to the Tennessee state line.

Tennessee


Still concurrent with I-155, US 412 enters Tennessee from Missouri on the Caruthersville Bridge before meeting US 51 in Dyersburg. The interstate designation ends as 412 turns southeast toward Jackson on a stretch of highway that was upgraded from 2 to 4 lanes in the 1990s. After leaving Jackson on its eastern side, US 412 passes through the towns of Lexington, Parsons, and Hohenwald before reaching Columbia. The section from Hohenwald eastward to I-65 near Columbia is overlapped with unsigned State Route 99. East of I-65 at the eastern terminus of US 412, the route remains SR 99.

History
Arkansas Highway 68 is the former designation of U.S. Highway 412 from the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line to U.S. Highway 62 at Alpena. The original eastern terminus of Highway 68 was 10 mi east of Huntsville at Highway 21, but was extended in the 1940s to Alpena.

An old alignment of Highway 68 can be found 4 mi east of Huntsville. This section includes an open-spandrel arch bridge over War Eagle Creek.

Just east of Mountain Home, in Henderson, the highway crosses Lake Norfork, which at one time had to be crossed by ferry. Coinciding with the final trip of a Norfork Lake ferry at 8 a.m. Friday, October 14, 1983, the U.S. Highway 62 bridge across Lake Norfork was opened. Charles Gibson piloted the ferry on that trip, carrying three cars across the lake within the shadow of the bridge, which brought a 40-year era to an end.

Future
On May 20, 2021, Senator Jim Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, introduced legislation to designate the portion of US-412 between I-35 in Noble County, Oklahoma and I-49 in Springdale, Arkansas as a future Interstate. The bill, titled the "Future Interstate in Oklahoma and Arkansas Act", was cosponsored by senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, both Republicans of Arkansas. The senators' stated reasons for seeking an Interstate designation along the US-412 corridor included encouraging economic development, expanding opportunities for employment in the region, making travel safer and shipping easier, attracting new businesses, and better connecting rural and urban communities. Other supporters of the measure include the mayor of Tulsa, G. T. Bynum, and the heads of both the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT). In October 2023, officials from both states requested public feedback on the US 412 study area, which is approximately 190 mi long. Interstate 42 (I-42) was the proposed designation but was withdrawn.

Major intersections

 * New Mexico
 * in Springer
 * in Springer. The highways travel concurrently to east-northeast of Boise City, Oklahoma.
 * in Clayton. US 64/US 412 travels concurrently to Guymon, Oklahoma.


 * Oklahoma
 * south-southwest of Boise City. The highways travel concurrently to Boise City.
 * east of Boise City
 * in Guymon. The highways travel concurrently through Guymon.
 * in Bryans Corner
 * in Elmwood. The highways travel concurrently to Woodward.
 * south-southeast of Laverne
 * west-northwest of Fort Supply. The highways travel concurrently to Woodward.
 * south of Waynoka
 * in Orienta. The highways travel concurrently to Enid.
 * in Enid
 * in Enid. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Perry.
 * north-northwest of Perry
 * north of Perry
 * north-northwest of Morrison
 * east of Morrison
 * in Westport. The highways travel concurrently to Tulsa.
 * in Tulsa. I-244/US 412 travels concurrently through Tulsa.
 * in Tulsa
 * in Tulsa
 * in Tulsa. I-44/US 412 travels concurrently to the Tulsa–Fair Oaks line.
 * in Chouteau
 * in Kansas. The highways travel concurrently to West Siloam Springs.


 * Arkansas
 * in Springdale
 * in Alpena. The highways travel concurrently to Imboden.
 * in Bear Creek Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Bellefonte.
 * in Ash Flat
 * in Hardy. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Portia.
 * in Walnut Ridge
 * in Paragould


 * Missouri
 * in Hayti. I-155/US 412 travels concurrently to Dyersburg, Tennessee.


 * Tennessee
 * in Dyersburg. US 51/US 412 travels concurrently through Dyersburg.
 * northeast of Bells
 * in Jackson. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Jackson.
 * in Jackson
 * northeast of Jackson. US 70/US 412 travels concurrently for approximately 0.3 mi.
 * in Columbia. The highways travel concurrently to.
 * in Columbia
 * in Columbia

Special and suffixed routes

 * U.S. Route 412B in Hindsville, Arkansas
 * U.S. Route 412B in Huntsville, Arkansas
 * U.S. Route 412B in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
 * U.S. Route 412B in Light, Arkansas
 * U.S. Route 412B in Paragould, Arkansas
 * U.S. Route 412 Business in Jackson, Tennessee
 * U.S. Route 412 Business in Columbia, Tennessee
 * U.S. Route 412 Alternate in Oklahoma