FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- A portion of a road many drivers use to get between major thoroughfares in Fayetteville is closed for construction.
There are several project underway at Old Wire Road and Mission Boulevard.
One of them is the installation of a new traffic signal. Fayetteville City Engineer Chris Brown said it's going to change the configuration of the intersection so it's easier to make a left turn from Old Wire onto Mission.
“Therefore, a lot of people have found different routes and they don't use that," Brown said. "What we expect is obviously the safety will be improved, but we do expect an increase in the number of people who come that way."
The ditches on Old Wire Road will be turned into a shared-use trail. People who live in the surrounding neighborhoods said that's something that is needed just as much as widening the road.
“Before this all started there was no clear pedestrian path and very difficult for even a bicycle to traverse safely,” Kevin Sanchez said.
Sanchez lives in the area and while it's hard to get around now he's looking forward to when the construction is finished.
"I will have an opportunity to safely go all the way to Root School or even the university to a football game if I wanted to walk there,” he said.
Brown said they'll also be adding shared bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the road.
“A future project that will occur later this year and into next year is taking a trail all the way to Gulley Park, to have that connection for Gulley Park because we do see a lot of pedestrians and again the school is a factor in this,” Brown said.
A portion of Old Wire will be closed until Jan. 24 and the traffic light and intersection will be done in three to four months. Bike lanes and sidewalks will be added in 2018 and the trail project will begin later this year.