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I-49 Widening Project Scheduled To End Soon

ROGERS (KFSM)– The Arkansas Department of Transportation recently announced that the lane widening project that runs from Lowell to the Pinnacle Hills Pro...

ROGERS (KFSM)-- The Arkansas Department of Transportation recently announced that the lane widening project that runs from Lowell to the Pinnacle Hills Promenade exit in Northwest Arkansas may soon come to a close.

Danny Straessle, the public information officer for ARDOT, said as long as the weather holds out, the extra lanes will be open for drivers by Labor Day.

Crews have already taken away concrete barriers and replaced them with orange barrels.

Straessle said they are having to play catch-up in this area to compensate for the massive amount of growth.

"The traffic is already there, the congestion is already there and by adding capacity, that will allow us to alleviate some of the traffic drivers in Northwest Arkansas are experiencing," Straessle said.

The goal of the soon to be six lane area is to not only alleviate that congestion but to shorten commute times.

He explained that drivers should know that the third lane does eventually end.

Where it ends is marked though well in advance before drivers reach it.

As one project comes to a close, Straessle said many others are also scheduled to end.

All projects on I-49 excluding the Springdale Bypass and the Eighth Street Interchange in Bentonville are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

“We’ll also bring in some additional projects online before the end of the year," Straessle said. "So you’ll still have construction out there but my gosh look at the progress we’ve made here in the last couple of years since we’ve started widening I-49.”

He said a lot of that progress is because of weather being so mild.

This widening project has gone well for them according to Straessle, which is why drivers have seen a lot of progress on the project.

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