FORT SMITH (KFSM) – A Fort Smith stoplight knocked over by a suspected drunk driver is expected to be replaced by Tuesday (Feb. 10), according to the city’s Streets and Traffic Control Department.
Police had feared it could take weeks to replace the traffic signal, which was knocked over around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. A Fort Smith police report states a drunk driver lost control and smashed into the pole.
City workers replaced the light with four stop signs Thursday, which motorists said significantly slowed traffic at the intersection of Phoenix Avenue and 74th Street.
Street Department officials on Friday secured a replacement pole and ordered it from Oklahoma City. The signal is expected to be operational by Tuesday, said Greg Riley, the department’s director.
A report released by the Fort Smith Police Department states Eric Elser, 29, was driving westbound on Phoenix Avenue around midnight and lost control of his pickup, striking the base of the traffic pole, located on the northwest corner of the intersection. Elser was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, police said.
