New interchange in Springdale now open to drivers

A new interchange for Interstate 49 could help relieve traffic on Sunset Avenue and provide another way for drivers to get to Arvest Ballpark and the surrounding area.

City officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new interchange Monday. The bridge connecting the east and west sides of I-49 was crowded with people.

The new interchange extends Don Tyson Parkway through to the east side of the interchange up to 56th Street, said Doug Sprouse, Springdale mayor. Most of the land surrounding the interchange is still made up of fields with a scattering of buildings and small homes.

Community members and officials drove their vehicles over the bridge, and some drove onto the interchange, after they cut the ribbon. A recreational vehicle was the first to use the northbound exit seconds after workers removed the last orange barrel blocking that part of the asphalt. Minutes later, a white car used the southbound entrance.

It’s the city’s fifth interchange and cost about $23 million to complete, Sprouse said. About $20 million came from taxpayer money through a 2012 bond program, while another $3 million came from federal money.

A new interchange can benefit a community by providing another access point to an interstate, said Randy Ort, public information officer for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. This can help relieve traffic on city streets and provide better access to amenities near the interchange.

It could help relieve traffic before and after baseball games at Arvest Ballpark, said Justin Cole, general manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals minor league baseball team. The Ballpark is on 56th Street near the interchange.

Cole said the busiest nights at the Ballpark are Fridays and Saturdays. The intersection of Sunset Avenue and 56th Street tends to get backed up with cars on those nights. He said the new interchange should help ease the traffic and give attendees another route.

“It’s a great thing for our fans who are used to coming and those who haven’t come yet,” he said.

The interchange will also help community members who travel to Ozark Guidance and the employees who work there, said Cynthia Curatalo, chief executive officer, in a phone message. Ozark Guidance is a nonprofit community health center located on S. 48th Street between the new interchange and the Sunset Avenue interchange.

Too many interchanges can be a problem, Ort said, because they can slow down traffic on an interstate, Ort said. Drivers need to speed up on the entrances and slow down near the exits. The department requires that there be at least one mile between each interchange, though officials prefer a distance of 5 miles.

The closest interchange to the north is off Sunset Avenue, while the closest one to the south is near Greathouse Springs Road, Sprouse said. The distance to each from the new interchange is one mile. Sprouse said he isn’t concerned that the three interchanges have a mile between each of them, because workers are currently widening I-49 to six lanes to help with the flow of traffic.

The new interchange will also help with commercial and residential development in the area, Sprouse said. Another project to expand 56th Street will begin within the next month and should also help with local development.

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