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Section Of Highway 59 North Of Van Buren Reduced To One Lane Due To Landslide

VAN BUREN (KFSM) — Due to a landslide, a section of Highway 59 will be reduced to one lane for the next two months. Crews with the ARDOT said the ground u...

VAN BUREN (KFSM) -- Due to a landslide, a section of Highway 59 will be reduced to one lane for the next two months.

Crews with the ARDOT said the ground under the pavement moved and caused a dip in Highway 59 just north of Van Buren.

"It started about three years ago. It's slowly moving and we have come out several times and made temporary repairs to the roadway to keep it passable. But it's got to the point now where we need to make a permanent repair," said Jason Hughey with the Arkansas Transportation Department.

While the repairs are being made, crews have put up temporary light signals and lowered the speed limit. Traffic is reduced to one lane while a traffic count of nearly 8,000 traveling the section per day.

Once the repairs are made, crews said they will begin repairs to four sections in Washington County that are also along Highway 59.

"It will be in the late fall before everything is complete," Hughey said. "The wonderful thing about this area is we live right next to the Ozark Mountains but with that comes situations like this where there is always movement of materials."

The Highway Department said the repairs cost an estimated $4.3 million dollars.

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