I realize it is always easier to Monday morning quarterback than to actually be in the game-making decisions. However, I am sickened at the lack of planning regarding the traffic flow for the new high school in Centerton. The Bentonville School Board picked the location for the school without considering traffic flow. County Judge Bob Clinard had pointed this out to the school board two years ago and at that time, the board said they would deal with the traffic issue later.
The school board recently came to the Benton County government asking it to participate in a traffic flow study. The county decided not to participate stating that if the project were a large shopping mall, the mall would be required to have a traffic flow study and would be required to make all necessary improvements to the roads so traffic would flow smoothly and safely.
The location for the new school is on Gamble Road in Centerton, just south and across the street from Centerton Gamble Elementary School. To have access from the south requires one to drive through residential streets. To the north one has to enter/exit off Arkansas 72 on a curve. To go west, you have to go south to Seba then go west on a dirt road. East on Seba will take you to Main Street. Then you can go south to Arkansas 102 or north to Arkansas 72, but at a different curve. None of the streets except Arkansas 72 have shoulders, just ditches on both sides of the roads with no turn lanes. To have safe and smooth traffic flow will be a challenge and costly to achieve. The school board, in my opinion, should get a failing grade regarding selection of the site since traffic flow was not addressed. Maybe the board plans to teleport the students to school.
MIKE CLIFFORD
Bentonville