U.S. 412 study focuses on safety

Residents tell highway officials about struggle with congestion

SPRINGDALE — Residents got a chance to tell state highway officials Wednesday what they see as problems along a congested stretch of U.S. 412 between 40th Street in Springdale and Arkansas 112 in Tontitown. Daniel Danford, who lives just south of the area, said leaving his house can sometimes be a struggle. “Two or three times a week, you don’t plan on going anywhere from 4 to 5:30 or 6. You can’t get out of the driveway. And, heaven forbid we have an emergency. It’ll get better with time, hopefully,” Danford said. He said he liked to see, “Obviously less congestion, but there’s so many people coming to Northwest Arkansas now that’s a wish that isn’t going to come true, I’m sure.”

Larry and Judy Clinton live in Har-Ber Meadows, just north of the stretch. “I don’t know how they can add any more lanes, just because it’s pretty tight through there, without taking a lot of somebody’s land,” said Larry Clinton. “We just stay off it at five o’clock at night, it’s just too busy,” Judy Clinton said. Mornings are not an issue, the couple said. “We’re retired, so we don’t get out,” Judy Clinton laughed. “We go to the gym after everybody’s at work.” Wednesday’s input session was to find out what people who drive through the area experience, according to Danny Straessel, a public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Transportation said. “Tonight is best described as a listening session, this is a study, we’re not rolling out a design or any construction plans or anything like that,” Straessel said. “And, we’ve got all the data already on this segment of highway. We know how many cars are here, we know all about the accidents. We know about the geometry, all that physical stuff. What we don’t know is about driver behavior.” Peak hours for traffic area are 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., according to Highway Department documents. The percentage of trucks is 10 percent. Studies show 32,000 to 38,000 cars a day pass through the corridor. Documents show 971 crashes in the corridor between 2012 and 2016, one was a fatality and 11 caused incapacitating injuries. Most, 47 percent, involved someone getting rear-ended. Highway officials said there’s no concrete plans and expect to return in late summer for a follow-up session and have some recommendations, which could range from widening to restricting turn access to improved signals. The study was prompted by an Arkansas Highway Commission request to look at the feasibility for improvement on several congested corridors in Benton and Washington counties, he said. A session about U.S. 62 and Arkansas 102 in Benton County happened Tuesday evening.