Planners look to ease Northwest Arkansas traffic congestion

Sitting in traffic isn't only frustrating for motorists, but comes with a financial cost as well. Regional planners are starting to look at ways to keep traffic moving through some of the region's most congested areas.

A 2012 study commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council found sitting in traffic was costing Northwest Arkansas residents more than $103 million a year in wasted time and gas. Since that study was done, some improvements have been made to address congestion, but more cars have been added to the mix because of the region's population growth.

Save the date

The official opening of the Northwest Arkansas Razorback Greenway is set for noon May 2 at Shiloh Square in downtown Springdale. Along with the ribbon cutting, a number of events are planned for the day, including groups riding or walking to the site from other cities on the trails.

Source: Staff reports

Planners got their first look Thursday at a draft of a traffic congestion management process for the Northwest Arkansas metro area. The plan is required for areas with populations of more than 200,000, according to the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration.

The draft is in the early stages of development and will be part of an ongoing process.

Being the inaugural study, planners are establishing a baseline of existing congestion for future comparison. The study looks at 224 miles spread over 13 roads.

The study provides a basic assessment of traffic conditions based on current data. It also lays the groundwork for developing strategies to ease congestion on the region's major roadways.

An example would be syncing traffic signals across the region. Most of the bigger cities in the area set the timing of their own lights.

Other strategies could include managing access to highways, adding signals and adding capacity by widening roadways.

"Signal timing is an area that deserves attention within the region to allow maximum efficiency of the existing system before costly widening to add capacity," according to the authors. "A regional perspective would produce consistent travel time runs even when crossing from one city to another."

Some of the most congested areas are on highways, such Interstate 49, that are now being widened or are scheduled to be widened in the next few years.

The plan is expected to include ways to measure the effectiveness of any steps taken to reduce congestion.

Traffic information will be made available to cities through the regional planning commission. Regional planners could use the data to prioritize future construction.

"Those are decisions you make, not decisions I make," Steve Taylor, a consultant with Co-Plan, who is preparing the study, told members of the regional planning Technical Advisory Committee on Thursday in Springdale. "Those are all local decisions that are made here. This is your starting point."

Patsy Christie, who leads the committee, said regional planners have to start from scratch on the study.

"We really have to start from the very beginning. We've got to start by having something to work with, then decide how we're going to work with it," Christie said. "This is not something we are going to just walk through very quickly."

The study is using traffic data to determine the 20 most congested routes and times of day, typically morning and evening rush hours. Solving traffic snarls in those areas at those times will be a priority.

Planners hope to have a plan by the end of the year.

Some of the most congested areas are familiar to many drivers while others may not be as obvious. Here are the top 10.

• 1. A 1.6-mile section of Bella Vista Way (also known as U.S. 71) from Blowing Springs Road east to Riordan Road in Bella Vista during the morning drive.

• 2. A 1.34-mile section of Bella Vista Way from Peach Orchard Road to Mercy Way during the morning commute.

• 3. A 1.37-mile section of North Street from Oakland Avenue to Mission Boulevard in Fayetteville in the afternoon.

• 4. A .27 mile section of southbound Interstate 49 west of the Fulbright Expressway in Fayetteville in the afternoon.

• 5. North Street from Oakland to Arkansas 45 in the morning.

• 6. A .21-mile section of southbound I-49 at the Walnut Avenue on-ramp in Rogers during the afternoon.

• 7. A 1.34-mile section of Walton Boulevard from I-49 to Rainbow Road in Bentonville in the afternoon.

• 8. The Walnut Avenue on-ramp to I-49 in Rogers during the morning drive.

• 9. and 10. A one-mile section of Wedington Drive, between Rupple Road and Futrall Drive, in Fayetteville in the morning and the afternoon. East-bound traffic was slightly worse.

Two areas in the second 10 are actually not in Arkansas. A half-mile section of U.S. 71 just north of the state line in Missouri during the afternoon drive came in at 15 for southbound traffic and 18 for northbound traffic on the list.

The Missouri spots are included because the Metropolitan Planning Area includes a portion of McDonald County and Pineville in addition to Washington and Benton counties.

The remaining congested areas on the list were various portions of I-49 and parts of Walton Avenue in Bentonville, Bella Vista Way in Bentonville and Thompson Street in Springdale.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department measures an average daily count of cars through specific points. In 2011, there was a daily average of 40,000 vehicles passing near Lake Bella Vista; 71,000 across from the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers; 66,000 just south of Sunset Avenue in Springdale; and 71,000 a day on Interstate 49 across from the Washington County Fairgrounds.

NW News on 04/18/2015

Upcoming Events