Construction crews on Monday began the final stages of the $7.7 million Fayetteville flyover project. They started laying the concrete on 250 feet of the 800-foot bridge.
The flyover will connect to northbound College Avenue, allowing traffic to travel directly to Fulbright Expressway and Interstate 49 instead of performing a U-Turn at the Joyce Boulevard and College Avenue intersection.
During the winter months, crews installed reinforcing steel, getting the bridge ready for the paving phase. Brown said paving is a major part of the project.
"It's a very exciting step, something we have been waiting on the weather to be right in order to do that," Brown said.
Brown said the concrete will be poured in two sections. The second section will be poured next Monday. He said drivers won't see any delays.
"From the traffic stand point, it won't be disruptive," Brown said. "They'll be able to work off of the roadway. Most likely we'll pump the concrete up from a location off the bridge."
Brown said crews will make sure the flyover is safe for drivers before the roadway is opened.
"We have to create some test cylinders," Brown said. "They are actually broken in 28 days to test the strength of the concrete to verify that that strength has gotten where it needs to be."
When crews are done with paving, they will start striping, installing the guard rails and placing a stop light off of the ramp.
Eighty percent of the flyover is paid for by federal funds, and the rest is paid by the city. It is expected to be completed in July.