The Arkansas Department of Transportation has scheduled three, online public involvement meetings in July to show its plans to widen Arkansas 112.
The online meetings will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. July 19, 20 and 21.
Making Arkansas 112 a major north/south connection in coming years is part of the regional Transportation Improvement Program for Northwest Arkansas. The road envisioned would be four lanes divided by a raised median and would have sidewalks on each side. There would be breaks about every one-fourth mile.
The primary purpose of the work is to allow the road to carry significant local and regional traffic, according to the planning documents. Arkansas 112 is the only major north/south route through the metro region west of Interstate 49, which makes it critical for regional mobility as the area continues to grow, according to the document.
The region's population is projected to be close to 1 million by 2045.
On either end, Bentonville and Fayetteville have already implemented raised medians, turn lanes, limited curb cuts, signal spacing and other access management strategies.
The Transportation Department unveiled its plans in December. About 200 residents participated in the December meeting. Typical input sessions in Northwest Arkansas might draw a couple dozen people.
The road would generally follow the current alignment except at Cave Springs, which could see a bypass around the west side of town or a split alignment through the middle of town. Most residents favored the bypass option rather than either of two proposed alignments through downtown that could affect historic buildings and businesses.
The bypass proposal would be the most expensive because several bridges would be required to bypass the city to the west, traversing a largely floodplain area and crossing Osage Creek twice. But fewer people and structures would be adversely affected.
Farther north, the route could impact the St. Valery Downs and Lockmoor Club subdivisions or Chattin Valley subdivisions along with several schools. Highway officials said six or seven homes would be impacted or have to be demolished to make room for the widening.
Construction isn't expected until at least 2023 and would take two to three years.
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Public involvement meetings
The Arkansas Department of Transportation will conduct a “Live” Virtual Public Involvement meeting for the following Arkansas 112 widening projects:
• U.S. 412 to Springdale Northern Bypass: July 19.
• Springdale Northern Bypass to West Wallis Road: July 20.
• West Wallis Road to Arkansas 12: July 22.
The online public meetings will consist of presenting and discussing the proposed design modifications. The meetings will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and only project-specific material will be covered. The online website will be available for viewing from Tuesday through Aug. 6 at https://www.ardot.g… . Comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. Aug. 6. If you have additional questions, contact: Karla Simms Advanced Public Involvement Specialist, (501) 569-2949 or [email protected].
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette