Lane, ramp, street closings, traffic detours set for I-30 project
Preparations to begin work on the nearly $1 billion 30 Crossing project will require lane and ramp closings on Interstate 30 and Interstate 630 in downtown Little Rock as well as closing several streets in North Little Rock starting Monday, the Arkansas Department of Transportation said Friday.
The flurry of activity will allow workers to, among other things, place a barrier wall and stage equipment needed for the project, according to department officials.
The work in what they now describe as the project’s first phase of upgrading the I-30 corridor through down Little Rock and North Little Rock includes replacing the bridge over the Arkansas River.
“We should see columns [for the new bridge] coming out of the river before the end of the year,” said Randy Ort, a top agency executive.
More immediately, here is what the public will see:
■ Traffic will have to negotiate alternating lane closings on eastbound I-30 between Roosevelt Road and East Ninth Street from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily through Thursday.
■ Also beginning Monday, portions of Brother Paul Drive, East Washington Avenue and South Locust Street
in North Little Rock will be closed until further notice to allow equipment to be staged. Detours will be posted with signs, the department said.
■ Flagging operations on President Clinton Avenue in Little Rock will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. daily through Friday to install the barrier wall with a single right-lane closure between Mahlon Martin and Ferry streets.
Another round of traffic disruptions will begin Thursday:
■ The eastbound I-630 ramp to eastbound I-30 and the East 15th Street ramp will be closed from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Thursday and Friday nights. Detours will be posted with signs, the department said.
■ Eastbound I-30 traffic between Interstate 440 and East Sixth Street will shift toward the outside lanes.
■ Finally, the eastbound I-30 exit to East Sixth and East Ninth streets will be closed for up to one year beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday. Detours will be posted with signs.
The 30 Crossing project, which has been under development for six years and so far has withstood legal challenges, is the largest and most expensive project the
Transportation Department has undertaken.
It is part of the agency’s $1.8 billion Connecting Arkansas Program that voters approved in 2012. Financed by a half-percentage-point increase in the statewide sales tax in place for 10 years through 2023, the program focused on regionally significant projects.
The department identified about $631.7 million in program money and other federal and state money for 30 Crossing, which is why the project has been divided into phases. The first phase includes the bridge and improved access to downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock.