The weather forecast is finally just right to all but shut down the Interstate 430 bridge over the Arkansas River this weekend to accelerate some of the work on the $31.7 million project on the I-430/Cantrell Road interchange.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation, calling it a "significant closure," announced Wednesday that all but one lane of the six-lane crossing connecting Little Rock and North Little Rock will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
Bad weather that ranged from an ice storm to heavy snowfall and just plain rain forced the agency's contractor to scrub three successive weekends in February to perform the work.
By contrast, the weather forecast for this weekend is so perfect the department could have dropped its standard proviso it uses in such announcements -- "weather permitting."
Friday includes a 50% percent chance of showers, but the system producing the moisture is expected to clear out and leave sunny and clear skies and mild temperatures throughout the weekend, according to the National Weather Service's North Little Rock office.
The department news release said the agency "encourages" drivers to avoid I-430 "completely where possible, but if that isn't an option, this is what drivers will face starting at 8 p.m. Friday:
• All southbound lanes on I-430 between Cantrell Road in Little Rock and Interstate 40 in North Little Rock will be closed.
• All northbound lanes on I-430 between North Rodney Parham and Cantrell roads will be closed.
The latter means that any traffic on I-430 north of Interstate 630 will have to exit at North Rodney Parham Road and be diverted to a detour leading to Cantrell Road, where traffic may re-enter I-430 northbound, the department said.
A single lane of traffic across the Arkansas River Bridge on I-430 North from Cantrell Road will be maintained during the closure period.
The ramp from westbound Cantrell Road, also called Arkansas 10, to northbound I-430 and the ramp from eastbound Cantrell Road to southbound I-430 will remain open throughout the weekend.
The detour for northbound drivers on I-430 north of I-630 starts when they exit at North Rodney Parham Road. From the interchange, they head west to Hinson and North Rodney Parham roads, where they will turn right and continue north on North Rodney Parham Road.
They will then take a right onto Pleasant Valley Drive, which will lead them to Cantrell Road, where they can access northbound I-430, the department said.
No trucks will be allowed on the detour route. They will be re-routed to Interstates 30 and 440, the department said.
At the end of this closure, early Monday morning, all three southbound lanes of the I-430 Arkansas River Bridge will be shifted towards the outside, making room for future shifts of northbound traffic. This change is part of the I-430 Arkansas River Bridge improvements project and combining these closures allows for a much safer transition from one traffic configuration to the other.
Limiting traffic on the bridge and I-430 in the vicinity of Cantrell Road will allow crews to erect structural beams and install safety platforms. Department officials said doing all the work in one weekend is more efficient and safer for workers and motorists alike rather than spreading the work over several nights, which is far more common.
At the end of this operation early Monday, all three southbound lanes of the I-430 bridge over the Arkansas River will be shifted towards the outside, making room for future shifts of northbound traffic, the department said.
The change is part of the $31.7 million project to make improvements on the bridge, including strengthening the shoulders to serve as additional travel lanes during peak traffic times and installing intelligent transportation system equipment between Cantrell Road in Little Rock and Maumelle Boulevard in North Little Rock.
Traffic will be controlled by traffic barrels and signs, the department said.
