University to Limit Traffic on West Dickson Street

Pedestrians cross Dickson Street Friday near the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The city of Fayetteville has granted the university a permit to limit the amount of traffic on Dickson Street from Harmon Road to Garland Avenue for specific times during the week.
Pedestrians cross Dickson Street Friday near the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The city of Fayetteville has granted the university a permit to limit the amount of traffic on Dickson Street from Harmon Road to Garland Avenue for specific times during the week.

— A portion of Dickson Street, near the University of Arkansas, will be closed weekdays to unauthorized vehicles beginning today.

At A Glance

Permit

The city of Fayetteville granted a permit allowing the University of Arkansas to limit traffic on West Dickson Street from Harmon Avenue to Garland Avenue from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The university will take operational control of the street today, the first day of classes for the spring semester.

Under the permit, only emergency vehicles, Razorback transit buses, approved delivery vehicles, university service vehicles and drivers with university parking permits for adjacent lots will be allowed through the section of Dickson Street during restricted hours. Bicycles will also be allowed, but scooters and motorcycles are prohibited.

The city granted a permit allowing the university to limit traffic on West Dickson Street from Harmon Avenue to Garland Avenue from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The university will take operational control of the street today, the first day of classes for the spring semester.

“That area can become pretty congested, especially during class change,” said Lt. Gary Crain, a spokesman for the university’s police department. “We have major building and construction going on near McIlroy and Dickson and it’s been kind of a problem in the area for many years.”

Crain said he doesn’t know of any recent collisions in the area involving pedestrians, but there have been some in the past.

“With the increase in student population, it’s getting more crowded up here,” he said.

Under the permit, only emergency vehicles, Razorback transit buses, approved delivery vehicles, university service vehicles and drivers with university parking permits for adjacent lots will be allowed through the section of Dickson Street during restricted hours. Bicycles also will be allowed, but scooters and motorcycles are prohibited.

Chris Brown, city engineer, said the city-owned street is maintained by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department on behalf of the university because it’s an institutional drive.

He said state law doesn’t allow temporary street closings and the city can’t allow the university to take permanent control unless it vacates the street.

“Right now, we’re closing it on a temporary, two-year basis and looking at a long-term plan,” he said. “One option would be for us to vacate the street, but I think there might be some reluctance from the university to do that.”

Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities, was unable to be interviewed Friday.

Johnson has said there’s support for limiting traffic on Dickson Street.

“Initially, we’ll focus on the section from Harmon Avenue west to the point Dickson Street ends at Garland Avenue,” he stated in a university news release. “We will install signage to alert traffic and redirect unauthorized vehicles to turn left on Harmon Avenue.”

Signs will be used to notify traffic of the street access change and request compliance during posted hours, according to the release.

Jimi Bryant, a university sophomore, said he thinks cutting Dickson Street access off to campus will prevent traffic congestion.

“I’d say it’s a good thing,” he said. “Because really, once you get up there, you have to cut through campus anyway. There are a lot of people crossing the street and if you don’t have to worry about a random car going though, then it’s going to make is safer for pedestrians.”

University police will monitor compliance during the first week and advise noncompliant motorists of the new access policies with a verbal and/or written warning. After the first week, citations will be issued to violators.

Facilities management and parking are evaluating any parking issues the closing might create, including the area of Garland Avenue, just south of Dickson Street. A parking lot for scooters in the area will have to be closed and replaced with disabled parking.

“At some point in the future, as the new classroom and lab building is built on West Dickson Street, we will have to consider limiting authorized traffic west of Duncan Avenue as well,” Johnson stated in the release. “For now, it’s the end of the street west of Harmon Avenue that needs our attention for pedestrian and vehicular safety purposes.”

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