Honestly, I didn’t think I would live long enough to see a eastern corridor linking the region’s cities.
OK, I haven’t lived long enough to see it, but there’s a plan, and that in itself is something of a miracle. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department is not known for moving with haste.
If I have to credit someone for last week’s announcement, it would be city leaders in Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville who have moved forward with improvements to streets on the eastern sides of their cities so they can carry more traffic — in hopes the eastern corridor will be built.
The selected route runs along Arkansas 265 in Fayetteville and Springdale. The route will extend the road from Wagon Wheel Road in Springdale to New Hope Road in Rogers. At Frisco Cemetery Road, a new road will be built to connect with South First Street.
If that all holds, it means a lot of traffic being dumped on a street that serves three Rogers schools, including the soon-to-open New Tech High School. The bus barn is across the street from the schools.
Is that really the best route? I anticipate a lot of traffic on a street that already has a lot of traffic.
A lot of improvements have been done on First Street. Rogers officials have plans that will further improve it — if you can call a roundabout an improvement. Engineers are enamored with them; drivers not so much. If this one is built, it will be approximately where that crazy Oak-B Street-Arkansas intersection is now. That intersection really does need help.
We have published the working plans from there northward. The road will have to meander along or it will disrupt industry, business and houses. Eventually, it is to hook up with U.S. 62 somewhere around Rogers Municipal Airport. Who knows how long that work will take?
The route should benefit downtown businesses, because a lot of traffic likely will pass adjacent to the area. More people may stop to enjoy the restaurants, businesses, the ambiance.
Still, all that traffic on First, south of New Hope, is concerning, and I hope city, state and school officials are considering what they can do to address the matter.
Meanwhile, city officials are moving ahead with improvements to Monte Ne Road. That’s a project that’s really needed. What a winding street.
Monte Ne Road was an option for the eastern corridor. I would guess it was rejected because it is through a more highly residential area than First Street, and it would run adjacent to Eastside Elementary. Still that’s fewer schools than First Street.
Whatever the reason for choosing the First Street route, it will be interesting to see how quickly design and construction moves along. The region desperately needs another north-south route, and one on the east side is preferable.
Speaking of the Highway Department, Benton County Judge Bob Clinard stood up to them, and they backed down.
State inspectors told Clinard in December to close the Cow Face Road bridge because an asphalt overlay added too much weight to the structure and it was not safe for heavy vehicles. County officials checked it and disagreed with the state boys. As a result, Clinard asked the state for the information they used to order the bridge closed.
When the state couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t pony up the info, Clinard refused to close the bridge.
I am not above supporting a little civil disobedience now and again, although I usually say if safety is involved, we probably should behave. I am not an engineer so I have no idea whether the bridge is safe. I do know state inspectors should have offered an explanation when asked. After all, there are some 1,000 people who would have had to take an alternate route.
That includes emergency service personnel responding to calls. Every minute counts when they are responding to a call.
But what happened Monday after Tom Sissom’s story ran on Sunday? State officials called Clinard saying they had changed their minds and the bridge did not have to be closed.
“I got a call saying that they had reviewed their decision and the state had made an error,” Clinard said. “They said ‘We’ve taken it off the list, and you can use it.’”
I would just point out Monday was a state holiday.
That must have been a whopper of a mistake.
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LEEANNA WALKER IS LOCAL EDITOR OF THE ROGERS MORNING NEWS AND THE SPRINGDALE MORNING NEWS. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER AT WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWALEEANNA.