Extended school road requested

EL DORADO — The El Dorado City Council agreed Thursday to ask the El Dorado Works Board for the money to extend a new road to El Dorado High School.

Aldermen addressed the proposed project, which fell under unfinished business on their agenda.

They subsequently decided to approach the EWB for the estimated $500,000 it would take to build an additional access road, an extension of Wildcat Drive, between EHS and U.S. 82B/ Hillsboro.

The decision came after aldermen Willie McGhee and Judy Ward opposed taking the money from the city’s reserve coffers.

Officials with the city and the El Dorado School District have said another road would alleviate heavy school traffic during the weekday mornings and afternoons on Timberlane.

In December 2015, the council gave the OK for Robert Edmonds, director of public works, to look into costs and plans for the street-extension project.

The issue appeared on the council’s Sept. 8 meeting, during which aldermen requested information about project specifications.

On Thursday, aldermen picked up the discussion where they left off and offered their own recommendations.

Edmonds and Mayor Frank Hash have said the road would be extended from the EHS parking lot to U.S. 82 between First Assembly of God church and Mini Storage of El Dorado.

Hash said the school district donated the property on which the 2,500 - 3,000foot extension would be built.

The new road would tee into Hillsboro several hundred feet east of the traffic signal at the entrance of West Side Baptist Church and school.

Edmonds told alderman that the two-lane road would be “curbed and guttered” and have bicycle lanes, sidewalks and lighting.

He also said the donated property has a platted easement.

Expounding on a question he asked on Sept. 8, Alderman Mike Rice noted that most traffic on the road would likely turn east onto Hillsboro.

“Wouldn’t we be just taking that traffic and putting

it back at that intersection?” Rice asked, referring to Timberlane and Hillsboro.

Edmonds said that approximately 90 percent of the traffic that leaves EHS off Wildcat Drive turns north on Timberlane.

“Even if 30 percent of that traffic takes the additional route, that’s 30 percent off that light. That’s splitting the traffic on that light,” Edmonds said. “At three o’clock (p.m.), you’re basically shutting down that intersection for an hour.”

Rice asked about a route that would direct traffic to the U.S. 82 bypass south of the school, and Edmonds said the option is not feasible because U.S. 82 is a federally funded highway.

Edmonds also said an existing road leading from the school to Robert E. Lee/Arkansas 15 was designed for bus traffic.

Alderman Billy Blann noted that access is limited from a gated road leading from the campus onto Parnell Road, adding that he heard that a couple of accidents had occurred there.

Alderman Dianne Hammond asked Edmonds to look into a restriction on traffic turning west onto Parnell Road and heading into the neighborhoods there.

Audience member Justin Hicks, who said he was a senior at EHS, told aldermen that school officials announced the restriction “two or three years ago” because of complaints from neighborhood residents about students allegedly driving recklessly through the area.

“Unless there’s a policeman there, you can turn right,” Blann said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Hammond and Hash said they felt that city police could handle the issue, and Hammond asked Edmonds to speak to the school district about the matter.

McGhee said he supported building another road to ease traffic congestion in the area, but he opposed a previous recommendation by Hash to tap into the city’s reserve fund to pay for it.

McGhee recalled problems that arose with a contractor years ago when the city widened Timberlane at the entrance of the high school to Robert E. Lee.

Hash said the project was ongoing when he took office for his first term in 2011.

“That was before my time. I just inherited cleaning it up. It wasn’t a train wreck. There were just problems about getting completed on time,” Hash said.

Ward agreed with McGhee and recommended the council approach the EWB, “since the street is most needed for the students and their safety out there.”

Alderman Kensel Spivey asked if the school district could pitch in some funding for the project.

“I could ask,” Edmonds said. Hammond later inquired about a $10,000 bill for the proposed street extension, and Hash said the bill was for engineering work that has been done on the project.

Blann inquired about the status of another proposed street project — the addition of a turn lane on the east side of intersection at North West Avenue and 19th Street.

“We’re at the money stage, sir,” Hash said.

City officials had been awaiting approval from the Arkansas Highways and Transportation Department, and Blann said Thursday that the issue needed more immediate attention.

“There aren’t many vehicles that turn left at that intersection, but when you have that one, traffic stacks up there,” Blann said. “There’s a lot of traffic on 19th.”

Edmonds previously provided an estimate of $100,000 for the turn lane.

Blann said he questioned the estimate, telling aldermen that he had measured the area, and the distance is the same as the west side of the intersection, which has a turn lane and turn arrow on the traffic light.

Edmonds said the area is actually a foot wider than the west side of the intersection, but 19th Street narrows just east of the intersection.

“You’re looking at a 10-foot, 15-foot turning lane, and we want to go back 100 feet to the east,” Edmonds said.

Hammond said she had told Edmonds to ask state highway officials about adding a controlled turn to the east side of the intersection.

Alderman Mary McAdams said the she made the same suggestion weeks ago.

“I believe he’s talked to them, and he’s waiting to hear back. I think that would solve a lot of the problem,” Hammond said.