Bentonville intersection project to improve traffic

BENTONVILLE -- An additional turn lane added to an intersection improvement project near Elm Tree Elementary School will allow motorists to move more efficiently, city officials said.

Plans initially called for only a westbound left-turn lane on the south side of the intersection of Elm Tree Road and Southwest Second Street, said Mike Churchwell, Bentonville transportation director.

He said the city decided to add a permanent right-turn lane. Plans called for a temporary lane to be built on the right side of Southwest Elm Tree Road so traffic could continue to move during the construction of the left-turn lane.

"Cost wise, it's a wash" between building a permanent lane or a temporary lane that's later removed, he said.

The road project will include lengthening through-lanes and right-turn lanes to provide more room for cars to stack on the north side of the intersection. Elm Tree is at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Traffic backs up at that intersection when motorists heading north want to turn west, preventing others behind them from crossing Southwest Second Street, Mayor Bob McCaslin said of the project last year.

The city hired Sand Creek Engineering to design, administer bids and oversee the project.

The work also will allow the traffic lights to be more efficient because all directions will have protected left-turn arrows, Churchwell said.

The City Council approved at its meeting Tuesday paying $61,693 to Carroll Electric to move some of its poles and power lines for the project.

Bentonville must pay to move the electrical facilities because they aren't in the city's right of way, Churchwell said.

"The number on the agreement is a best estimate, and the actual cost will be determined after the relocation is completed," he said in a memo to council members. "Our experience is that these estimates are usually very close to final actual cost and in many cases the actual cost is less than the estimate."

Churchwell said he hopes the project is ready for bid by the end of the summer. The work is estimated to cost between $750,000 and $800,000.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department had to approve the project designs as Southwest Second Street is Arkansas 72.

The project will be paid for by the Highway Department's 0.5 percent sales tax that was passed in 2013, according to city documents. The city collects about $700,000 annually from the tax.

The project also was identified in the 2014 City Wide Traffic Study.

NW News on 05/26/2016

Upcoming Events