Highway 229 connects Fordyce, a regional population center in
South Arkansas with
Benton, which is on the outskirts of
Central Arkansas. However, it is less direct then US 167 between the cities. Traveling
Highway 9 and
Interstate 30 between the cities is also less direct than Highway 229, but both routes are estimated to have a shorter travel time than Highway 229 under normal conditions.{{#tag:ref|Mileages from Fordyce to Benton are based on highway miles from the downtowns of the cities. The route begins at
Highway 8 in
Fordyce in the northwest corner of the city. The route runs north to a junction with
Highway 273, which runs east to
US 167. Highway 229 continues north to
Bunn, where it curves into a straight alignment along an abandoned railroad line to
Carthage. In Carthage, the highway passes the
Bank of Carthage, which is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, and has a brief
overlap with
Highway 48. The route winds north to
Cooney and enters
Grant County. Highway 229 runs north along the western side of Grant County, passing through
Leola, where it has a brief concurrency with
Highway 46. Northeast of Leola,
Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park commemorates the
Battle of Jenkins' Ferry during the Civil War. The highway runs north to
Carvers, where it serves as the eastern terminus of
Highway 222. Continuing north to
Poyen Highway 229 intersects
US 270, which gives access to
Malvern to the west and
Sheridan and
Pine Bluff to the east. Highway 229 winds north through the communities of
Fenter,
Nydia,
Traskwood, and
Haskell. An overlap begins with
US 67 in Haskell, which continues to I-30 in a discontinuous section of Benton. I-30 and US 67 concur to the north, with Highway 229 through a rural area until terminating at South Drive near the I-30/US 67 southbound frontage road. ==History==