New I-49 interchange
nothing to celebrate
While "state and local officials celebrated" (April 19 edition) the completion of a portion of the new 412 Bypass and its upcoming opening on April 30, all I can do is visualize the biggest cluster we've ever seen on Northwest Arkansas roads to date.
As it now stands, traffic exits Interstate 49 at U.S. 412 in Springdale onto one of the most convoluted off-ramps ever dreamed up by the highway department. It's an absolute mess. Semis hang up traffic throughout the day as they try to navigate the right exit-left turn-right turn to get onto 412 through a series of traffic lights. It's a cluster in its own right, but is 10 times more optimal than the debacle that's about to be opened.
The new portion of the 412 Bypass will end -- and traffic will exit at -- Arkansas 112, several miles north of U.S. 412. The road is a narrow two-lane country highway with absolutely no shoulder or center turn lane. It travels south, through the small town of Elm Springs, then winds through a series of curves into Tontitown and the destination of 412.
Currently, traffic moves fairly well during rush hour for those that are already on 112, but one can see traffic backed up six to 10 and more cars deep on the arterial roads that feed onto 112. These folks won't have a hope in Hades of getting out once the 412 traffic is diverted down this road.
Then, when the new glut of traffic arrives at the intersection of 412, they're going to find that the intersection is already woefully incapable of handling the three directions of traffic with the minuscule turn lanes there. One semi could back up either turn lane, which will then back up traffic in all three directions. This is going to be the cluster of the century.
This comes shortly after problems on I-49 have been cleared up due to the opening of third lanes. Having this lane has given traffic room to move over, creating a much safer environment. That is, until you head north to the Pinnacle Hills exit at Rogers. In their wisdom, the highway overlords have decided to close the three lanes down to two just before the on-ramp merges. Thus you have traffic merging from the left, followed immediately by traffic merging from the right.
This might be an understandable circumstance, except that there is one entire mile of open lane to the north of the interchange that was completed several years ago, but has never been open to the public that paid for it! It sits as a humongous shoulder instead of being used as a traffic lane for the safety of drivers. Let's open it up in the name of public safety.
They can still narrow down to two lanes again after traffic has merged a half-mile down the road, but they aren't going to need the entire mile as a buffer when they begin construction of the interchange at Walnut Street sometime in the future.
Troy Juzeler
Bentonville
Commentary on 04/23/2018