ELM SPRINGS, Ark. — Northwest Arkansas is continuing to grow every year. With more people moving to the area, infrastructure and roads have to keep pace.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is planning on widening Highway 112, which is leaving multiple businesses and homeowners with no choice but to relocate.
After ARDOT announced last year that they plan to widen Highway 112, the owners of KYYA Chocolate in Elm Springs found out that their location was going to turn into a roundabout. Store owner Rick Boosey said it took around seven months for them to find a new spot.
"We looked at probably 50 buildings," Boosey said. "We kind of like being on cool little back roads, and so there aren't a lot of those available."
Boosey said they found the new Bentonville location on Regional Airport Boulevard in July. By August, they signed a lease and have been making the transition to the new location ever since. However, KYYA won't officially close the Elm Springs location until Dec. 31.
This time of year during the holidays is busy for the store and Boosey said moving from Elm Springs is a hassle.
"We still do daily productions, so there's still chocolate bars being made and syrups being made every day," he said. "[It's] kind of like I got an extra job for about seven months."
But, there is a bright side to the relocation — more space!
"We got a much larger retail space," Boosey said. "Our space in Elm Springs is about 100 square feet, just a little tiny space. And so everything's a little bit bigger here, which is really good for opportunity, for growth, and to add some products in."
He said the new chocolate room is around three times the size of the Elm Springs one, and the syrup is about five times the size of the old one.
"We're super excited about the physical space, but we're also excited to be up here in West Bentonville. We're on a pretty busy road that goes to the airport, and so it's kind of exciting to get new customers and for folks to find us," Boosey said.
Both locations in Bentonville and Elm Springs are up and running. Boosey said he's aiming for the last week of the year to be the final week of operations for the Elm Springs location. The new location in Bentonville is located at 5400 SW Regional Airport Blvd.
Right now, Boosey said the business is paying for both locations until the financial process is complete with ARDOT.
"They have kind of relocation, re-establishment of services fund, and we're working through that right now. In fact, that's what I've been doing all morning, is taking quotes and trying to get everything kind of wrapped up so that we can give that to ARDOT for approval," he said.
The widening project involves making Highway 112 a four-lane highway with a raised median, sidewalks, and eight roundabouts at existing intersections.
"This has got to happen for safety reasons, for congestion reasons," ARDOT spokesperson Dave Parker said. "All parts of the day you 112 was congested — doesn't matter if it was morning or afternoon. It was really getting out to be an issue in a quality of life matter and safety for people."
Parker said the total project will cost about $350 million, but construction won't start until next year and is expected to be under construction for up to five years.
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