Interstate Improvements Only Part Of Road Plans
Posted: December 2, 2011 at 5:54 a.m.
Traffic begins backing up Oct. 13 at the beginning of the evening rush hour at Interstate 540 and Southwest 14th Street in Bentonville.
Voters overwhelmingly approved a bond program in November to repair the state’s interstate highway system, but that’s only the first step toward solving Northwest Arkansas’ traffic problems.
AT A GLANCE
540 Interchanges
Nine Interstate 540 interchanges in Benton and Washington counties are expected to be improved using money from a state $575 million highway bond issue approved by voters Nov. 8. The state would spend about $100 million on the interchanges as a first step toward widening the highway through most of the metro area.
The interchanges are:
• Exit 62: Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; U.S. 62/Arkansas 180 in Fayetteville.
• Exit 64: Wedington Drive; Arkansas 16/112 South in Fayetteville.
• Exit 69: Greathouse Springs Road in Johnson.
• Exit 73: Elm Springs Road in Springdale.
• Exit 76: Wagon Wheel Road in Springdale.
• Exit 78: Arkansas 264 in Lowell.
• Exit 85: U.S. 71B, Arkansas 12 in Rogers.
• Exit 86: Arkansas 102 West, U.S. 62 East in Rogers.
• Exit 88: Arkansas 72 in Bentonville.
Construction could start in late 2012.
Source: Staff Report
Road Projects Not Limited to I-540
Below is a list of projects in Northwest Arkansas in the Arkansas Department of Highway and Transportation’s statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Programmed means the highway department has an active job number and is developing an approved project idea. Projects and their status include:
• Arkansas 62/180 to Arkansas 16 widening for 1 mile. Scheduled for May 2012.
• Arkansas 16 to Porter Road widening. Programmed.
• I-540 Porter Road to Arkansas 112/ U.S. 71B widening. Programmed.
• Arkansas 112/ U.S. 71B interchange improvements. Scheduled for 2013.
• U.S. 71B to U.S. 412 widening. Programmed.
• I-540/Don Tyson Parkway Interchange. Scheduled for 2012.
• U.S. 412 to Wagon Wheel Road widening. Programmed.
• I-540/Elm Springs Road interchange improvements. Programmed.
• Wagon Wheel Road to Arkansas 264 widening. Programmed.
• Arkansas 264 interchange improvements. Programmed.
• Arkansas 264 to New Hope Road widening. Programmed.
• New Hope Road to U.S. 62/Arkansas 102 widening and interchange improvements. Scheduled for August 2014.
• U.S. 62/Arkansas 102/Eighth Street improvements. Scheduled for 2011.
Source: Arkansas Highway And Transportation Department
WEB WATCH
Long Range Plan
The 2035 Northwest Arkansas Regional Long Range Transportation Plan can be seen at www.nwarpc.org.
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Comments
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"There is a proposal for extending the freeway by constructing a Highway 71 Bypass west of Bella Vista Village."
Does the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department NOT YET realize that Bella Vista is a CITY, not a village? "The Village," a property owners association, is merely a part of the City of Bella Vista. I notice even the highway signs still direct travelers to that so-called village.
Posted by: BellaVistaOne
December 2, 2011 at 9:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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