HIGHFILL — Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport officials say their longtime dream of a limited access road may not be a viable option.
But a four-mile road from the airport to U.S. 412 Northern Bypass at Elm Springs might be possible if it is integrated into a wider road network that would move traffic from western Benton County southeast to Interstate 49.
“The significant change is the notion of getting away from what I call the long driveway to the airport, that this road could serve a larger geographic area, a larger customer base than just the airport,” said Scott Van Laningham, executive director.
Whatever happens, an environmental study of the options must be completed first.
“We’ve got to get through the environmental deal before we ever get to the OK, ” Van Laningham said.
Operations committee members Wednesday recommended the full airport board of directors approve at their next meeting a request for $150,000, on top of $450,000 remaining in an existing contract, to expand and complete a required study of road access options.
The additional work was requested by federal highway and environmental officials, who must eventually sign off on the study.
It all goes back to environmental regulations that require all options be considered, including all roads that could conceivably connect to the airport, Van Laningham said. That could mean a limited access road to the soon-to-open U.S. 412 Northern Bypass or it could mean using Arkansas 264 to I-49 or Arkansas 264 to Arkansas 112 then down to U.S. 412.
Part of the equation is whether existing roads can be improved enough to provide adequate access to the airport.
Getting through the purpose and need phase of the study and finding a new set of consultants who could take the project into the design stage are important to maintaining momentum, Van Laningham said.
“It’s time for there to be a new team on our side of the equation anyway,” he said. “I’ve come to the conclusion we need new eyes and ears to take a look at this project and drive it forward.”
Van Laningham has said he intends to retire by the end of the year if a new executive director is in place, and the study could take two years or more to complete.
“We will be bringing in a new team of consultants and experts,” he said. “It is not unusual for those folks to come in at this point in the process and take it over. I’ve talked to folks who have done that for others. It won’t be like starting over, it’ll be picking up where this one left off and taking it forward.”
Philip Taldo, who is both a regional airport board member and a state highway commissioner, said a new approach could give the highway department an opportunity to route western Benton County traffic someplace other than through Bentonville to access I-49.
“It could be better, ultimately, for everyone in Northwest Arkansas,” he said.
Money the airport has for the access road could partner with state money to improve existing routes to the airport. Both Arkansas 112 and Arkansas 264 are two-lane, winding roads, but the state has proposed improvements to both.
“We’ve still got to go back and look at it,” said Jerry Farrar, an engineer who has worked on the road study.
Danny Straessel, public information officer with the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said his agency has no position on the issue but has provided some guidance about how to navigate the federal process and environmental guidelines.
“We don’t have an opinion or a preference on what type of road they build, how long it is, whether it’s controlled access, partial access or all access,” Straessel said. “It’s completely up to them what they do and how they do it.”
Phil Phillips, another board member, said the west end of the proposed access road could be opened up for all traffic to use it to reach the 412 Bypass.
Several board members noted that during the past 20 years, the rest of Northwest Arkansas has been getting closer to the airport, which was built in an isolated, very rural area. When first envisioned, a dedicated access road would have been about eight miles, the distance is now about four miles from the airport to the 412 Bypass interchange at Arkansas 112.
Ron Wood can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWARDW.
Looking to the future
The Arkansas Department of Transportation has added several Northwest Arkansas jobs to its list of 2021 and 2022 transportation improvement plans. By placing the projects on the list, the department indicates they are considered to be priorities. Projects include:
Purchasing right of way for the next section of the U.S. 412 Northern Bypass, from Arkansas 112 to U.S. 412 in Tontitown.
Improvements to the Interstate 49 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard interchange in Fayetteville.
Adding passing lanes on Arkansas 59 between Gentry and Gravette.
Improvements to the U.S. 412 and Arkansas 112 intersection in Tontitown.
Widening Arkansas 279 south and Arkansas 102 in Centerton.
Replacing a bridge on Arkansas 170 near Farmington.
Widening Arkansas 12.
Source: Northwest Arkansas
Regional Planning Commission