NCTR Location
Jefferson Laboratories is home to the Food and Drug Administration's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and is co-located with the Office of Regulatory Affairs’ Arkansas Human and Animal Food Laboratory (ARLHAF). The campus is located in Jefferson, Arkansas, a rural community in south central Arkansas between Little Rock and Pine Bluff. The Jefferson Laboratories campus sits on ~500 acres surrounded by pristine forest.
Visitors
Visitors to NCTR can fly into Little Rock National Airport, stay at one of the many hotels in Arkansas’ capitol city, and drive to NCTR, located about 40 minutes south of Little Rock. There are no hotels in Jefferson. All visitors must check in at the main parking lot’s Security Office in Building 21.
Driving Directions to NCTR
Address:
3900 NCTR Road
Jefferson, AR 72079
From Little Rock:
- Take I-530 South towards Pine Bluff.
- Take the Jefferson Exit (#24), turn left and follow Stagecoach Rd 1.2 miles to Jefferson.
- At the stop sign, turn LEFT onto Highway 365N (NOTE: If using GPS, it may direct you to turn right onto Hwy 365; however, you must turn LEFT on Hwy 365N or you will end up at the Pine Bluff Arsenal).
- Drive north about 0.2 miles, turn right onto NCTR Road.
- Take NCTR Road 4.3 miles to the NCTR/Jefferson Labs sign. Turn right onto Rainey Rd (the street sign indicates Cerniglia Drive) and proceed to main parking lot. Be prepared to show your driver’s license or other photo ID.
- Visitor parking is located near the main parking lot’s security building.
- All visitors must register with the Security Office in Bldg. 21 and must be escorted at all times on campus.
Surrounding Communities
- Little Rock – Arkansas’ state capitol—where many of the Center's 600 employees live—is 35 miles north of NCTR. Little Rock has an estimated population of over 198,000 within the city limits and over 738,000 in the six-county Greater Little Rock Metropolitan area. NCTR is an easy 40-minute commute from Little Rock on a four-lane, low-traffic interstate highway. Many NCTR employees make the daily commute either on employee-sponsored vanpools that qualify for transit subsidies and run to and from the Center each day, or in their own vehicles. Carpooling also is popular.
- Pine Bluff – A smaller community with a quiet atmosphere in Jefferson County, Pine Bluff has an estimated population of approximately 42,500 and is just 20 miles south of NCTR. Employees who live in Pine Bluff usually drive their own vehicles or carpool to work.
- White Hall – Located in Jefferson County, White Hall is a 20-minute drive from NCTR, about 35 minutes south of Little Rock, and 10 minutes north of Pine Bluff. It is located just off interstate highway 530. The current population is approximately 5,000. Employees who live in White Hall drive their own vehicles or carpool to work.
- Sheridan – Located 32 minutes west of NCTR, and 30 miles south of Little Rock in Grant County, Sheridan has over 4,800 residents and Grant County has over 18,000 residents. The Sheridan School District serves most of Grant County and the eastern section of Saline County. Employees who live in Sheridan usually drive their own vehicles, carpool, or ride an employee-sponsored vanpool to work.
- Benton – Located 50 minutes northwest of NCTR in Saline County, Benton has an estimated population of more than 35,000. Employees who live in Benton usually drive their own vehicles, carpool, or ride employee-sponsored vanpools that qualify for transit subsidies.