Gravette seeks to ease traffic congestion
State, regional and city planners to consider options for major intersection
GRAVETTE — Opening the Bella Vista Bypass two years ago relieved traffic congestion on U.S. 71 through that city, but Gravette picked up three interchanges on Interstate 49 overnight.
Now, the city of Gravette, regional planners and the Arkansas Department of Transportation are teaming up to ease congestion at the Arkansas 59 and Arkansas 72 intersection in the city, which has seen a spike in commercial truck traffic since the bypass opened.
“The biggest problem that we are having is that the intersection is just not wide enough to handle the increased semi truck traffic after I-49 opened up,” Mayor Kurt Maddox said. “And, I believe, based on the state’s own study, within a few weeks of opening, our truck traffic increased by about 584 trucks a day coming through town.”
Maddox said the majority of those trucks are coming from the south on Arkansas 59 from the Dallas area and Oklahoma and are headed north to I-49.
“It’s about 24 miles shorter for them to cut up through Gravette if they’re going north toward the Joplin, Springfield, St. Louis area,” he said.
The other, longer option for trucks is to use U.S. 412 and then I-49. The I-49 and U.S. 412 interchange at Springdale is the most congested in Northwest Arkansas, based on the 2022 Congestion Management Process Study conducted by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.
More than 9,200 cars a day travel through the Arkansas 59 and Arkansas 72 intersection, according to transportation department traffic counts. Just west of I-49 and east of Gravette on Arkansas 72, traffic counts went from about 2,000 cars a day before the Bella Vista Bypass opened to more than 9,000 cars a day.
Opening the bypass created a new travel route that some folks are finding reduces mileage and travel times, according to Jared Wiley, chief engineer for preconstruction at the department.
“That’s why we’re seeing those increases there,” Wiley said.
A transportation department evaluation of the Arkansas 59 and Arkansas 72 intersection found changing the southeast radius of the intersection will reduce the northbound traffic on Arkansas 59 by providing ample space for large commercial trucks to turn right onto Arkansas 72 during high traffic times.
In addition, removing the west leg of the intersection will decrease the traffic length on Arkansas 59 by eliminating all northbound left turns.
The project is currently being designed and is expected to cost about $3 million, according to Maddox.
Wiley, with the state agency, said the intersection improvement program was recently updated and the department set aside $4 million a year in federal funds for projects like the one in Gravette.
“So, if a signal is warranted or upgrades are warranted based on the traffic counts that go through that intersection, then we have funding available,” Wiley said.
In accordance with the transportation department’s guidelines for the program, the project is eligible for 80% federal funding up to $1 million. The required 20% match is being split between the city and the transportation department.
The Regional Planning Commission in August approved providing an additional $1 million of Surface Transportation Block Grant Program money to the project. That is money the region receives to help with regionally significant transportation projects.
Gravette also is working on a private donation that will go toward the project, Maddox said.
“As a small city, we wouldn’t be able to do a project like this without help from these different organizations,” he said.
Tim Conklin, executive director at Regional Planning, said the program provides insufficient funding to address any major changes to intersections and requires cities to make up the difference to move projects forward.
Major intersection projects now cost around $3 million to $5 million, he said, which leaves smaller cities with the tough decision on how to pay for them.
The Intersection Improvement Program provides money for projects in unincorporated areas and cities with fewer than 200,000 people. Municipalities within the urbanized boundary of a federally designated Transportation Management Area must seek funding available from the corresponding planning organization — the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission in Gravette’s case.
Eligible projects on the State Highway System include construction of new traffic signals, upgrade of existing traffic signals, intersection improvements, roundabouts and signal coordination.
Once constructed, traffic signals are maintained by the city.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation is also studying the need for and feasibility of improvements to the Arkansas 59 and Arkansas 72 corridors as well as a possible north/south connector road east of Arkansas 59 between I-49 and U.S. 412 to alleviate some congestion on both Arkansas 59 and I-49.
“We’re seeing significant population growth out there. We see some traffic pattern changes after we opened the Bella Vista Bypass and so we’re trying to respond to some of those needs,” Wiley said. “There’s a lot of work being done out there right now.”
The studies will consider if improvements are needed to satisfy the new demands, according to information on the Department of Transportation’s website.
“The study will consider Highway 59 from Siloam Springs to the Missouri State Line and Highway 72 between Highway 59 in central Gravette and Interstate 49.”