BENTONVILLE -- McClelland Consulting Engineers will design improvements for the North Walton Boulevard and Tiger Boulevard/12th Street intersection.
The City Council approved 8-0 a professional services agreement with the firm for $151,815 at its meeting Tuesday.
Tiger Boulevard is on the east side of North Walton Boulevard, and Northwest 12th Street is on the west side.
"We've looked at this intersection several times over the years," Mike Churchwell, transportation director, said Thursday.
The main issue is for traffic flow east and west, he said. Traffic flow that runs north and south on North Walton Boulevard is good.
The intersection is about a half mile west of Lincoln Junior High School, Sugar Creek Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and sees more traffic congestion after school lets out.
The intersection was approached by 16,921 cars in a 24-hour time period in spring 2013, according to a study by Garver Engineers.
The city traffic study was presented to the City Council in February. This intersection project was listed as one of the short-term projects. The study categorized short-term projects as those that should be done within five years.
It was one of 14 intersections that received an in-depth evaluation. The study recommends a 150-foot left turn lane on Tiger Boulevard, a 350-foot left turn lane on Northwest 12th Street and channelized right turn lanes on both.
It also recommends adding a flashing yellow arrow signal for northbound and southbound left turns and adding pedestrian signals on all four corners.
The improvement project "somewhat follows" the recommendations in the study, which aren't detailed, Churchwell said.
"It may sound simple," he said. "It's going to be a small project in size, but a big project in construction and utility relocation."
The largest issue will be to moving a utility line sitting on the southeast corner.
"It's going to have to move, and it's going to be quite the deal to figure out how to do that," Churchwell said.
McClelland Consulting's services will include engineering design, environmental review and preliminary utilities, according to documents.
Most of the design will be paid for by a Surface Transportation Program-Attributable federal grant of up to $132,444. The grant requires the city to contribute 20 percent, which is $30,363, according to documents.
The design phase could take four to six months. The city could receive more federal money from the same program to help with construction, Churchwell said.
NW News on 12/12/2014