BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved Wednesday (April 1) a $58.7 million project to complete Missouri’s portion of the Bella Vista Bypass or Missouri/Arkansas Connector. Meanwhile, Missouri highway projects remain on schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a district engineer said.
Emery Sapp & Sons Inc. of Columbia, Mo., will complete the nearly 5-mile bypass project, between Pineville, Mo., and the Missouri/Arkansas state line in McDonald County, Mo. Construction is expected to start by late April and should be completed by Sept. 30, 2021.
Steve Campbell, southwest district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said bids for the project were higher than hoped, but work on it should start April 16, if not sooner. The total cost for all aspects of the project, including right-of-way acquisition, design and construction, is $70.3 million.
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Construction to build the new Bella Vista Bypass interchange with U.S. Highway 71 in Bentonville requires overnight lane closures, according to Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) officials.
Weather permitting, crews will be performing paving and striping operations at the State Highway 549 (Bella Vista Bypass) roundabout from Sunday, April 5 to Saturday, April 11 to allow for continued construction.
Crews will be using flagging operations, signage, and police enforcement to alternately close various lanes on roads connecting with the roundabout, including the northbound ramp to Highway 549, northbound and southbound North Walton Boulevard, and northbound I-49 during overnight hours.
- Sunday night, 6 p.m. – 7 a.m.
- Monday – Friday nights, 8 p.m. – 7 a.m.
Watch for warning signs and safety personnel during the work. The public is advised to be cautious when traveling in the work zone.
This project (Job CA0903) is part of ARDOT’s Connecting Arkansas Program and includes constructing approximately 2.8 miles of roadway with bridge structures on U.S. Highway 549, including a new Bella Vista Bypass interchange with U.S. Highway 71 in Bentonville. More information on this $66.6 million project is available at ConnectingArkansasProgram.com.
Drivers should exercise caution when approaching and traveling through all highway work zones. Additional travel information can be found at IDriveArkansas.com or ARDOT.gov. You can also follow us on Twitter @myARDOT.
