The first section of the long-awaited Bella Vista Bypass opens to traffic today, according to officials from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
State and local officials will be at a ceremony to signify the opening at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Arkansas 72 and the new roadway east of Hiwasse.
The three-mile segment bypasses downtown Hiwasse to the south. The $19.9 million project was awarded to APAC-Central of Fayetteville in 2011. The section has two lanes and eventually will be widened to a divided four-lane. The route initially will be designated Arkansas 549, and it will also have "Future I-49" signs.
"This is an historic day for Northwest Arkansas," Dick Trammel, vice chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission, said in a news release. "Not only are we celebrating the end of this first contract and the opening of this roadway, but we're also celebrating the future as we get a glimpse of what lies ahead when we complete the rest of the bypass."
Scott Bennett, director of the Highway Department, said construction is ongoing.
"We have a $13.7 million contract under way from Hiwasse northward to Benton County Road 34 on the west side of Bella Vista that should be complete before the end of this year," Bennett said in a news release. "And, we've just awarded a $52.6 million contract to extend the bypass east from Hiwasse to I-49 on the north side of Bentonville. We hope to be driving on that section by the spring of 2016."
The final two projects, a full interchange at I-49 in north Bentonville and the 2.5 mile section from County Road 34 north to the Missouri line, will begin when Missouri provides a timeline to complete its final section, according to the news release.
Beginning today, Interstate 540 and U.S. 71 from Alma to north of Bentonville will be designated as Interstate 49.
NW News on 04/22/2014