SPRINGDALE -- 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 sky was clear, the weather was hot and cars below honked at the people on the bridge.

The new interchange extends Don Tyson Parkway to 56th Street, said Doug Sprouse, Springdale mayor. Land surrounding the interchange is mostly undeveloped with a scattering of buildings and small homes.

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. It 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. It can help relieve traffic on city streets and provide better access to amenities near the interchange.

The interchange may 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 traffic.

"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 on 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. 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 five 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 the three interchanges have a mile between them because workers are widening I-49 to six lanes to help with traffic flow.

The new interchange also will 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 development.