Hard to believe
Block I-30 from LaHarpe?
TIRED of politics already? Goodness, it’s only the first week of November—of 2015. We the American People have almost exactly one year left of presidential politics, for this cycle. We foresee the next cycle of presidential politics starting . . . one hour after the inauguration speech ends January 20, 2017.
But if you live (and drive) in central Arkansas, and have been reading the papers the last few weeks, you might have found another topic to debate, and it has nothing at all to do with the presidential race, the Middle East or the federal health-care system. This discussion is heated, folks. And it’s about Interstate 30.
More specifically, it’s about the proposed project to rebuild I-30 across the Arkansas River, and perhaps to “upgrade” the interstate from six to 10 lanes. As if bigger is always an upgrade.
The letters section and the guest columns on the page to your right have been filled with comments and criticisms of this $600 million project. Tonight, the director of the state’s Highway and Transportation Department is scheduled to explain some of the plans to Little Rock’s board of directors. The board’s meeting has been shifted to the grand hall at the Clinton Presidential Center because of—according to the city—an “anticipated need for more space.”
The highway director says he wants to clear up some confusion. That sure would help. Because some of us are confused.
The 50-year-old bridge might need to be replaced. Some interchanges might need to be moved or shut down. More information from our public servants is always helpful in these things.
But here’s something we’d like to see addressed at tonight’s meeting: Why close down the street that connects I-30 and Arkansas 10, also known as LaHarpe? This is, along with I-630, one of the major east-west routes in Little Rock. Shutting it to traffic, this one-block connection, would eliminate one of these routes.
Those who drive in downtown Little Rock, and those who use LaHarpe Boulevard to get from west Little Rock to, say, the airport, might find this plan hard to believe. Word has it that traffic would be rerouted west down Second Street and east down Fourth Street. And both of these city streets would be turned into state highways. Why? The other day, even with construction on LaHarpe, we made a quick trip from I-30 all the way to State Street without hitting a single traffic light. And from there, everything on Cantrell was within quick reach. But if we had to take Second Street from I-30 to Chester Street (then to LaHarpe), we’d have to stop for 10 red lights. Not only that, but kids from the charter school were everywhere, not to mention a lumbering streetcar.
This plan would seem to create a traffic hazard at Second and Main streets, which the city is spending heavily to make more attractive to development. Not to mention a traffic hazard at the county courthouse, with all its pedestrian activity. Not to mention all the other stop lights, stop signs and crosswalks in that part of the city. Closing LaHarpe to traffic from the interstate would seem to create a traffic nightmare downtown.
BUT, SOME have said, that intersection at LaHarpe and President Clinton is dangerous. Okay, so fix it. Why eliminate one dangerous intersection only to create a dozen more potentially dangerous ones—Second at Main, Second at Louisiana, Second at Center, Second at Broadway, plus all the intersections on Fourth Street . . . .
How much is it going to cost to move the streetcar rails on Second Street? And what will that do to the Historic Arkansas Museum? And why do so many local politicians, business owners and the Downtown Little Rock Partnership hate the whole idea?
During tonight’s explanation/discussion/polite exchange, we hope somebody can address why anybody would block up the LaHarpe connection between Arkansas 10 and I-30. It seems as though plugging that traffic outlet might solve one or two problems. But create dozens of other problems elsewhere.
The devil, they say, is in the details. This detail sure seems to have its demons.