FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- The Arkansas Department of Transportation has asked for public input on the future of the Martin Luther King Junior Blvd., also known as Highway 62, interchange along Interstate 49.
A public input meeting was held on Tuesday (Sept. 12) where two different proposals were displayed for people who have a vested interested in the area, whether it be commuters or business owners.
Two plans are on the table that will both tackle congestion of eastbound traffic on MLK Blvd. near the intersections of Futrall and Shiloh Drives.
The first, which can be found here, would create a flyover from one lane of MLK up over the interstate and connect with the east side of I-49 to connect with northbound traffic. The northbound off ramp intersection with Futrall Drive would also be moved south to align with Best Way Street.
A second plan can be found here. It requires several additional steps, including acquiring land on the east side of the interstate currently occupied by several businesses including Econo Lodge and Bank of America.
Futrall Drive would be relocated farther east, and a single clover would be added South of MLK, near the current Futrall Drive to take traffic north on I-49. Other work would include widening MLK from S. Finger Road to the intersection of Hollywood and Sang Avenues.
The current plans are about 30 percent of the way through the designing, planning and public input stage.
People who weren't able to attend the meeting can find a citizen comment form, here. Comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Those forms can be submitted via mail or email.
After gathering comments, ARDOT engineers and planners will select one of the plans based on a number of factors, including public feedback and estimated cost. A future meeting will then be held to publicly discuss the chosen proposal.
Work could start within the next several years.