When the Broadway Bridge closes in late September for demolition and rebuilding, traffic lanes and stoplights in downtown Little Rock will be adjusted to help motorists adjust to the loss of a major commuter route, the city’s traffic engineer said.
The 93-year-old bridge, which will be out of service for six months after its scheduled Sept. 28 closure, is used by an estimated 25,000 motorists each day. Officials said they expect the bulk of those automobiles will end up using the nearby Main Street Bridge.
That, in turn, will prompt a handful of changes to traffic flow, said Bill Henry, Little Rock’s traffic engineer.
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http://www.arkansas…">Broadway Bridge set for closure Sept. 28
Officials in North Little Rock also are planning some changes to traffic flow.
Among the changes to downtown traffic lanes, Scott Street will become a two-way passage between West Capitol Avenue and West Sixth Street, something Henry said will give motorists heading into downtown on the Main Street Bridge a quicker way to get into the downtown street grid.
“We are doing whatever we can to make it as painless as possible,” Henry said.
The two-way extension of Scott Street, he said, will allow drivers to take a threelane, one-way street into the city grid instead of turning onto West Capitol Street, which has a lower vehicle capacity.
A left-turn arrow will be added at West Third and Scott streets to increase the number of vehicles turning onto Scott going toward the Main Street Bridge. The city also will change an inside lane on West Fourth Street to a left-turn lane to funnel more vehicles onto northbound Scott Street.
“What we are trying to do is increase the capacity we can get over the Main Street Bridge,” Henry said.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said he anticipates much of the traffic along the Broadway Bridge shifting to the Main Street Bridge, which carries about 12,000 vehicles daily, according to data from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. Other alternatives to get across the river include Interstate 30 and Interstate 430.
“The Main Street Bridge is being underutilized,” he said. “Quickly, it will be brought more traffic.”
Under the planned traffic changes in Little Rock, drivers traveling off the Main Street Bridge on the Little Rock side will not be allowed to make a left turn onto East Markham Street into the River Market District — a change also meant to help the flow of vehicles into the city.
Henry said the traffic changes will have to be completed before the bridge is closed.
A detour will be set up at West Markham Street and South Broadway, where the Broadway Bridge connects to Little Rock.
In addition to lane changes, traffic lights downtown will go from a 70-second cycle to a 90-second cycle in favor of vehicles going north and south.
“You have a lot of northsouth demand, and you are going to lose capacity when the Broadway Bridge goes out,” Henry said.
In response to the bridge’s closure, North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith said dozens of traffic cameras in the downtown area will allow officials to keep an eye on traffic on Main Street. There also will be changes to traffic lanes in the city, but Smith did not disclose specifics Thursday night.
Smith said the city is as prepared as it can be, and encouraged residents to find alternative routes and alternatives times to commute.
“It’s going to be traffic like we’ve never experienced before in central Arkansas,” he said.
Daily commuter Doah Strojek said she’s a bit frustrated by the bridge closure and plans to leave for work earlier to beat the traffic headed into Little Rock.
A teacher at Arkansas School for the Blind, Strojek said she doesn’t like driving on the interstate and plans to use the Main Street Bridge to get to work everyday.
“A lot of people are going to be late to work,” Strojek said. “I hope their bosses are understanding.”
Susan Roberson, who commutes from Conway, also plans to take the Main Street Bridge and not deal with the standstill traffic she sees on I-30 when she goes to work, she said.
“I just cannot deal with sitting in traffic,” she said. “It makes me lose my religion.”
While the closure will be an inconvenience to her daily commute to Little Rock, she said there is no good time to start construction.
Henry said his best advice for commuters in the downtown area is for them to start their commutes earlier. He said drivers will have a better chance beating traffic if they leave before peak traffic times in the morning, which often start around 7:30 and end about 8:30.
The changes to the traffic lanes and stoplights will be implemented before the bridge closes, Henry said.
The traffic plans were developed by North Little Rock engineering firm Garver. Officials from Little Rock and North Little Rock gave input on the traffic plans, said Nicci Tiner, a senior project manager and traffic team leader at Garver.
Highway Department officials attended planning meetings, she said, and also reviewed the traffic plans.