Southwest I Street Brings Sidewalks, Drainage

Mark Glover with Decco Contractors Paving handles traffic control Wednesday as crews work to level sections of pavement on Southwest ‘I’ Street in Bentonville. The improved stretch of road between Southwest 14th Street and Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard officially opened Jan. 22.
Mark Glover with Decco Contractors Paving handles traffic control Wednesday as crews work to level sections of pavement on Southwest ‘I’ Street in Bentonville. The improved stretch of road between Southwest 14th Street and Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard officially opened Jan. 22.

— It was 30 degrees as Frank Piercey stood on the sidewalk in front of the Salvation Army on Southwest I Street on Wednesday afternoon. Piercey shifted from foot to foot to keep warm after he walked more than two miles in the blustering wind from the Bentonville Public Library to the Salvation Army.

The widening of Southwest I Street brought a 10-foot-wide sidewalk that hugs the east side of the street where the Salvation Army is located. There were no sidewalks for pedestrians who sought out the Salvation Army before road construction began in January 2010.

At A Glance

About The Project

Southwest I Street Widening Project

• Start Date: January 2010

• Expected Completion Date: March 2012

• Date Opened to Traffic: January 2013

Source: Staff Report

“There was just a very small shoulder and then the ditch,” said Jean Mentzer, executive director of the Salvation Army. “It was a very dangerous situation.”

An improved Southwest I Street opened Jan. 22. The street was widened to two lanes in each direction.

“For all intents and purposes, it’s done,” said Mike Churchwell, director of the city’s Transportation Department.

City department heads and construction managers did a walkthrough Thursday to note problems that need to be addressed before closing out the project.

About 20 people use the new sidewalk to walk to and from the Salvation Army each day, Mentzer said. The short-term homeless shelter opens at 5 p.m. and provides meals, lodging and laundry for men, women and families.

Piercey said he has been in Bentonville about 12 years and appreciates the new sidewalk.

“It’s a lot better,” he said. “They did a really nice job, too.”

The city had pedestrians in mind when rows of chain-link fencing on either side of a concrete drainage channel near Lake Bentonville was added, Churchwell said. The fencing “isn’t the prettiest thing in the world,” but said it solved a safety issue, Churchwell said.

“That paved channel just invites people to get out in there,” Churchwell said. “It has the 10-foot trail that runs next to it and gets a lot of foot traffic. Then there’s the park nearby that has small children.”

Southwest I Street always was one of the first city streets to flood before the improvement work, Churchwell said. A section where the new bridge stands would go under water during heavy rain, as would an area near the Salvation Army. The city installed flood gauge markers on either side of the bridge to help inspectors determine how much of the road is under water.

“We’ve had a couple of rain events now and it hasn’t even come close,” Churchwell said of possible flooding. “The potential is there for it to go over the road, but not nearly like it used to be.”

The $18 million project was supposed to be finished in March 2012, but weather delays figured into the contract time, Churchwell said.

Mentzer said she was happy with the new Southwest I Street, despite the delay. She said contractors accommodated the Salvation Army’s needs throughout construction.

“We never had any trouble getting in and out of our driveway,” she said. “The traffic just flows by so much more smoothly now.”

More traffic will flow to the street as people realize it is open, Churchwell said.

“It seems to be functioning quite well,” he said. “But people should know there will still be some work out there as we clean up and address the final items.”

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