Traffic Study For Bentonville's West High Complete

CENTERTON -- The results of a traffic study regarding the development of Bentonville School District's West High School mirrored the concerns government officials already had.

"The study didn't give us any final answers," said Bob Clinard, county judge. "It really just identified the problems we already knew about."

At A Glance

West High School

Bentonville’s West High School is being built on Gamble Road in Centerton. Officials broke ground on the building June 23. Construction is expected to take two years to complete. The $86 million school will open August 2016.

Source: Staff Report

The study area was bound by Centerton Boulevard to the south, Main Street and Arkansas 72 to the east, Arkansas 72 and Herbaugh Road to the north and Keller Road to the west.

The study was done for current traffic conditions as well as projected two-, 10- and 20-year conditions. It looked at 11 intersections involving city, county and state roads.

Hourly 24-hour traffic counts were done at 10 locations. The highest were at Arkansas 72 approaching Herbaugh Road with 6,639 vehicles and at Arkansas 72 approaching Walters Road with 6,253 vehicles, the study shows.

Trips on Main Street approaching Seba Road were 4,500. The fewest number of trips made were on Short Road, just east of Arkansas 72 with 295.

The study estimates the high school with 2,500 students will add 6,840 vehicle trips a day.

It's not yet known how many students will attend the high school its first year. The senior class may not join the freshmen through junior classes the school's first year, said Michael Poore, Bentonville Public Schools superintendent.

School officials will speak with and survey the future senior class next year about the options. It can either attend the new school with the three other grades, or the junior class will become the senior class in the school's second year, Poore said.

There are four proposed drives into the future high school. Three, including the main one into the student parking lot, are along Gamble Road. The other is on Seba Road, according to the study.

"We're already making road improvements on Seba," said Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards.

About 900 feet west of Zachary Street is being paved. The city is also planning on putting turning lanes at the intersection of Seba and Gamble roads, Edwards said.

The widening project of Gamble Road to three lanes from Seba Road to the city limit just past Centerton Gamble Elementary School is being designed, Edwards added. It's expected to be bid in the spring or early summer with construction to quickly follow.

That project was also recommended in the traffic study. Edwards said he wasn't surprised by any of the study's findings.

A sidewalk on the east side of Gamble Road from the elementary school to Seba Road is also on the city's list of current projects, according to Edwards.

The study also recommends traffic signals and turning lanes at the intersections of Seba Road and Main Street, Arkansas 72 and Main Street, and Centerton Boulevard and Sun Meadow Drive. Additional turn lanes are suggested at the intersections of Gamble and Herbaugh roads, Arkansas 72 and Herbaugh Road, and at two of the access points going into the school site.

The study suggested to have a police officer or traffic worker direct traffic at the student parking access during peak traffic times once the school is open. It also suggested the speed limit on Arkansas 72 be lowered for safety before the school opens in August 2016.

Clinard said his main concerns are the intersections from city and county roads to state highways. The study echoed those concerns but didn't offer specific solutions on what to do about them yet, he said.

Clinard said he wasn't criticizing the study since it was designed to identify potential traffic issues, not give designs for its recommendations. However, he said he can't move forward with project specifications.

"It's not enough detail for me to budget the work," he said. "That's what I need."

The real issue is about who is going to pay for the projects suggested in the study, Clinard said.

"It's going to be the school, the city, the county or some combination thereof," he said.

The traffic study was done by Peters & Associates Engineers, Inc. It cost about $25,000 and was paid for by the city, county and School District, Edwards said.

NW News on 09/21/2014

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