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Transportation Projects, Roads, Light Rail, etc


mcheiss

Future Proposed Northwest Arkansas Transportation Projects  

103 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Project is the best option for the future of Northwest Arkansas?

    • 10 Stop Light Rail System
      33
    • Western Bypass
      15
    • I-540 Improvements (6 to 8 lanes)
      35
    • Eastern Parkway
      6
    • Regionwide Bus Service
      8
    • Pedestrian Facilities
      1
    • Bicycle Facilities
      4
    • Ride Share Programs
      1


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I'm wondering if the underpasses have enough room for 8 lanes below them.If not, they will have to be completely rebuilt and the widening will take much

longer and be much more expensive. 

I think that may be why, in many of those cases, why the outside lanes will be exit only.  So in actuality there's only 6 lanes going underneath.  Then the extra lane is added again with the entrance ramp.  On that link I posted, if you look at the map you see a lot of those intersections only as 6 lanes but everything on both sides of it as 8 lanes in those corresponding sections.

 

(Here's that link, since it's on the previous page now)

 

http://www.arkansashighways.com/planning_research/statewide_planning/Studies/1-11-105%20I-540%20Improvement%20Study.pdf

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Oh yeah- I see what you mean. Hopefully it won't cause a bottleneck situation with people not merging over until it is too late.

Yeah I've been in some other cities where those exit only lanes are somewhat common.  They can sometimes be a bit of a pain.  But I don't think most will complain going from 4 lanes to 6/8 lanes.  :)

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  • 1 month later...

Sounds like plans for wok on I-540 have been released.  In the Spring the Don Tyson interchange will start construction, cost of it is $30 mil.  Then work will start on widening I-540 between Wedingtson to Porter Rd in Fayetteville for $9 mil.  Then later in the year improvements for the Great House Springs Rd interchange and Elm Springs Rd interchange for $2 mil and $4 mil respectively.  Then widening I-540 between Wagon Wheel Rd to Hwy 264.  That's just the start of what will be 17 highway projects around I-540.

 

http://nwahomepage.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=397722

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  • 7 months later...

Sorta funny, for the longest time it was Arkansas who didn't have the money to pay for the Bella Vista bypass while Missouri had money for it's side.  But Missouri eventually gave up on Arkansas and used it's money for other projects.  Now Arkansas finally has the money but Missouri doesn't.  Sounds like Missouri is $25 Mil short.  But Arkansas isn't going to use it's money on another project elsewhere.  It's planning on holding it's funding for the final section up to the Missouri border till Missouri is ready and has all it's funding read to to go.

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Sorta funny, for the longest time it was Arkansas who didn't have the money to pay for the Bella Vista bypass while Missouri had money for it's side.  But Missouri eventually gave up on Arkansas and used it's money for other projects.  Now Arkansas finally has the money but Missouri doesn't.  Sounds like Missouri is $25 Mil short.  But Arkansas isn't going to use it's money on another project elsewhere.  It's planning on holding it's funding for the final section up to the Missouri border till Missouri is ready and has all it's funding read to to go.

I think Mo. also doesn't like the idea of Arkansas only building it as a 2 lane. They may wait until Arkansas finds the money to build the full 4 lanes before they commit the cash again.

 

Another aspect of this is the study on the possibility of using tolls to help pay for the bypass. It seems the Highway Commission has already made up their minds they that they don't want a toll system and are the using the study to justify their position. The claim that it would take $28 million to build the infrastructure to collect tolls does not add up. The entire bypass is less than twice that amount. The Commission needs to look at what neighboring states such as Oklahoma and Texas do to run a toll system. The electronic toll system that  North Texas uses does a great job of generating revenue and does not require the physical rightaway and structures that a traditional system does.  A toll system would help collect revenue from the out of state traffic that uses our roads without paying for their construction and maintenance. There are other needed interstate projects that would benefit from a toll system- specifically the North Little Rock bypass completion. Studies can be used to justify most positions on an issue- the Commission needs to have an open mind on the use of tolls and don't let their prejudice against them lead them to ignore a possible funding source.

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Here's a link to the North Texas Tollway Authority explaining how electronic cashless tolling works and why they use it. Arkansas needs to look into such a system to open up new revenue streams if projects such as I49 and I69 are to ever be built. A great place to start is with the Bella Vista bypass and the NLR bypass. Tolls are user based fees that shift the costs of highways to those who actually drive them. The primary need for interstates such as I49 and I69 is the heavy truck traffic that uses these type highways to traverse the state- tolls are a small expense for such traffic. The state as a whole will benefit from the construction of I49 and I69 while a large amount of the costs of building them is borne by drivers from out of state.https://www.ntta.org/custinfo/faqs/Pages/default.aspx

Edited by zman9810
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  • 2 months later...

I'm having a difficult time posting anything other than text these days. idrivearkansas.com is a new site that has maps  of the highway construction projects around the state and letsd you drill down to see details about them. It also gives weather conditions on the highways around the state- quite timely for yesterday.

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I'm having a difficult time posting anything other than text these days. idrivearkansas.com is a new site that has maps  of the highway construction projects around the state and letsd you drill down to see details about them. It also gives weather conditions on the highways around the state- quite timely for yesterday.

idriveArkansas is sad.  I'm not sure who is running AHTD, on multiple levels... but damn, clean house!

And, according to the big sign that proclaims idrivearkansas on US 71 at the MO border, I'm supposed to access that website while I'm driving.  Good grief... and yet, Arkansas does not acknowledge the *55.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I have a new car, so maybe the LED lights highlighted it better...

Saturday night I was coming home from Tulsa, and the reflectors in the median were incredible between Siloam and Springdale.

 

When it comes to lighting regs, I think there are more concerned with Light Pollution than Sufficiency. I feel that as long as path finding is excellent, then lighting shouldn't be regulated on highways.

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