The first significant traffic restrictions tied to a project to replace the Broadway Bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock are set to begin next week, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said.
The agency said in a statement that the ramp from westbound LaHarpe Boulevard to the northbound bridge lanes will be closed by March 25, or within the next week. It will remain closed for the duration of the project and won't be replaced until the new bridge opens in the fall of 2016.
The ramp on the other side of the bridge, which connects southbound bridge traffic to westbound LaHarpe, will shut later after crews have demolished the first access ramp.
The Highway Department said the parking lot in the area accessed by North Arch Street and the section of the River Trail in that area will both be closed beginning Monday. A spokesman for the city of Little Rock said a detour for the River Trail around the area is expected to be finalized later Wednesday.
The new Broadway Bridge is expected to be built between May 2016 and November 2016 at a cost of $98.4 million.
In other highway news, officials also reported Wednesday that lane restrictions are set this week at the Interstate 40/Interstate 430 interchange.
The inside lane of the I-430 north to I-40 west ramp will be closed beginning at 9 p.m. Friday and continuing through 7 a.m. Monday while crews pour concrete.