Van Asche Drive construction ends in Fayetteville

Project viewed as crucial east-west connector, development driver

Traffic flows Wednesday along Van Asche Drive after the opening of the nearly 1-mile stretch of road between Gregg Avenue and Arkansas 112. The $4.6 million project was completed by APAC-Central
Traffic flows Wednesday along Van Asche Drive after the opening of the nearly 1-mile stretch of road between Gregg Avenue and Arkansas 112. The $4.6 million project was completed by APAC-Central

FAYETTEVILLE -- A frequent knock on the city's street network is it lacks good east-west connections.

That changed a bit Wednesday with the opening of a new stretch of Van Asche Drive.

Mayor’s box

The new section of Van Asche Drive is part of Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s longstanding plan for a “box” of four-lane streets around the perimeter of the city center.

Other sides of the box include Crossover Road to the east, Rupple Road to the west and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, 15th Street and Huntsville Road to the south.

For more information, go to www.fayetteville-ar….

Source: Staff Report

"When they tell you this city doesn't have any east-west corridors, you tell them to come to Van Asche," Mayor Lioneld Jordan said during a ribbon cutting.

The Van Asche work, extending about a mile from Gregg Avenue to Arkansas 112, connects the shopping district surrounding the Northwest Arkansas Mall with the area north of Sam's Club.

Drivers no longer will have to wind their way along several narrow, two-lane roads to get from one side of Interstate 49 to the other.

Along with two lanes in either direction, the new section of street features a 5-foot-wide sidewalk on the north and a 10-foot-wide shared-use trail on the south. Trees will soon be planted in a grass median. And, pending approval from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, a traffic signal will replace stop signs at Van Asche and Arkansas 112.

Wendy Conrad, a waitress for about 20 years at Restaurant on the Corner, southeast of the intersection, said Tuesday she's happy to see the project completed.

Conrad said the construction has been a pain during the past six months. It blocked one of the business' entrances. But now that the work is done, people should have an easier time getting to the restaurant from the east side of town, Conrad added.

"It's going to make it way more convenient, I know that," she said.

Ward 3 Alderman Justin Tennant and Chamber of Commerce President Steve Clark said Wednesday they expect to see rapid development along Van Asche Drive in the near future.

Construction on a 63,000-square-foot building for Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas is well underway down the street, across from the 112 Drive-In. A 164-unit retirement community is planned on vacant land just south of the church.

Clark told members of the Fayetteville Town and Gown Advisory Committee on Monday a rezoning is in the works along Van Asche that could bring as much as 800,000 square feet of commercial space to the area.

"There's a lot of room to invest here," he said Wednesday.

Tom Terminella of The Terminella Co. confirmed Wednesday that WG Land Co., a company associated with Gerald Jones and Robert Green Whitfield of Fayetteville, and David McClinton, a longtime area contractor, have plans to develop approximately 205 acres north and south of Van Asche.

Terminella didn't specify what the developers have planned but said possibilities include a car dealership, large-scale retail shops, medical offices and multifamily apartments.

"It will have a host of cultural amenities that will develop over time," Terminella said.

The land is owned by WG Land Co., according to Washington County property records.

The Van Asche project is part of Jordan's longstanding plan for a "box" of four-lane streets around the perimeter of the city.

The $4.6 million project was built by APAC-Central and designed by the Fayetteville Engineering Division. It was paid for through a $65.9 million transportation bond program voters approved in 2006.

NW News on 09/24/2015

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