itk

I'm not sure, but I know they have been trying to get it designated as I-49... but with the current gap between Pineville and Bella Vista, I'm not what they may sign it as

City planners don't reserve land for future highways-- they can plan to their hearts content, but that doesn't mean anything without money. Government agencies (like a state DOT) do... and they can only do that when there's money available. There's very, very limited money to do that right now. The only way to get money to do that is for political action and public support. [off soapbox]

It is currently under design. Expect a public hearing over the proposed design most likely late this year.

Just FYI in case anyone is curious once again why the DOT don't build enough highways in Ark (or anywhere else for that matter): http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002496872.html Capka Says Bush Has a Highway Contingency Funding Plan

I don't know why the reporter that wrote the article for the NWA Times got it wrong-- it will be four lanes with a center turn lane (i.e. 5 lanes) through Farmington all the way to the bridge near Prairie Grove. Plus, if I remember correctly, it will also have bicycle lanes in Farmington.

That's not what I heard. The article I read quotes one or two people. That hardly constitutes as "many". (Not to sound like I'm picking on you )

There basically already is. 48th St.

Yep... the NWA Council is leading the charge. If there's any organization that you want to contact to find out more info, they would be the place to start. They have a website somewhere... but it's in its very infancy right now. Also, you could try the NWARPC-- they may help.

I generally agree with Coody on this one.

I can't believe no one has mentioned the upcoming election over the proposed road impact fees in Fayetteville. Mith must be on vacation! I'm curious if anyone has an opinion on the matter. I think it's interesting that Fayetteville, being the unique town that it is, is finally recognizing the need for more and wider roads. There's a lot of people in Fayetteville, and on this board, that don't like that I'm sure. But in the real world, Fayetteville can't just keep doing that and expect to be competitive. People drive cars, people will continue to drive cars, and more people and jobs are moving into Fayetteville. It's not like we're talking about widening an 8-lane freeway. We're talking about widening two-lane roads. On one hand, Fayetteville, which didn't invest in road widenings for as long as I can remember as a child until very recently, needs to catch up. The fees that I have seen in the papers don't seem as outrageous as critics make them out to be-- residential prices will surely be passed along to the buyers, but the costs to new business don't seem that much. For a 50,000 sq ft commercial/office, for instance, would be about $50,000. Is that going to deter a developer from building an office or retail in Fayetteville?? On the other hand, there is no tiering system for residential units, nor for areas of town (further out, closer in, etc). The fact is, Fayetteville, in the real world, to continue to attract businesses and thus tax dollars, must build or help fund *wider* roads and highways (4-lane roads). That's reality. The money has to come from somewhere. More money isn't going to come from the feds, or the state, for the foreseeable future. An RMA may or may not help out. Fayetteville has to help themselves.

Huh! I wouldn't have thought that the new Crystal Bridges site would require rock excavation... guess it is built into a hillside? Anyway, gotta put it somewhere. Whenever construction does start on the Bella Vista Bypass, though, there is going to be a whole heck of a lot of earthwork involved. Probably almost as much as was done for I-540 in certain places. Consequently, there will be a lot of trucks around, so at some point you may be inconvenienced with more trucks around your neighborhood.

That is a valid concern. But that's where some good politicking (sp?) will have to happen. Perhaps instead of selling a sales tax increase in the two county region to the voters, they could try and sell a package of projects spread across the region. Of course, there is a larger voting base in a town like Springdale, than in a town like Siloam Springs.

double post Pretty decent article this morning about RMAs. http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/News/186058/ The article correctly gives the impression of what an RMA will almost certainly function as in Arkansas. That is, as a seperate authority to levy taxes with voter approval. Previous media articles gave the impression that it would build and operate toll roads. Rather, it could raise millions and millions of dollars for specific project(s) in their region, which then would go to AHTD for them to do their thing. That's why an agency like AHTD will be just fine to see RMAs-- it could mean expedited projects that would've taken years or decades to get built.

Hello? I'm here now! Nope, construction has definitely not begun. Right-of-way appraisal and acquisition will take a bit of time by itself. Design is still undergoing. Construction won't begin until sometime next year. Typically, I think AHTD will only improve the portion that's within their right-of-way. Otherwise, it will be the responsibility of the county or, now, perhaps the city (if it's in the city limits).