Arkansas 549 in Fort Smith has become a smooth training ground for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation. The highway closings were first publicly announced in October, and so far, no live nuclear warheads have been used in the night-time training sessions.
Arkansas 549 connects U.S. 71 in Fort Smith to Arkansas 22 in Barling. Since it is lightly traveled and able to be completely closed off, the new road has proven a perfect training ground for training the office’s nuclear warhead transporters.
“549 has given us a real unique opportunity to train in by far the most realistic environment,” said Kerry Clark, acting deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Secure Transportation within the U.S. Department of Energy.
Clark said no nuclear waste is ever transported by the division but interstates are the primary routes used when moving nuclear arms and warhead components by heavily armed convoys throughout the year.
Although weather is a factor in transporting nuclear weapons, the office is more wary of other drivers than anything.
