Street closures continue for 30 Crossing project

A section of President Clinton Avenue in Little Rock and a portion of Riverfront Drive in North Little Rock will close beginning today as construction continues on Interstate 30.

The full closure of President Clinton Avenue between Ferry and Dean Kumpuris streets is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and is expected to last three weeks, said Ellen Coulter, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

The department has set Nov. 5 as the tentative date for reopening the closed area.

“That depends on the weather and other factors so we’ll know a more definitive opening date when it gets closer,” said Coulter in an email Tuesday.

While state officials could not provide a map of the closure, the detour route is signed.

The full closure of Riverfront Drive between Olive and Pine streets in North Little Rock is expected to start at 6 p.m. and last all weekend. The closed area is scheduled to open at 5 a.m. Monday, according to a release from the department.

During the closure, access to the Riverfront RV Park will remain open. Noise, primarily during the day, is expected near the interstate as crews continue demolishing the defunct I-30 bridge spanning the Arkansas River. State officials said the detour would be signed.

The closures are among the latest reroutes state officials have announced since crews began demolishing the old I-30 bridge last month.

The bridge demolition is part of the 30 Crossing project, the largest interstate endeavor in the history of the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The project, which includes the construction of two river bridges, is designed to widen and improve access to the interstate in the Little Rock and North Little Rock area.

So far, state officials have contracted out roughly $633 million for the project. The department could not provide an exact figure for the total cost of the endeavor this week but as of earlier this year state officials estimated the cost would approach $1 billion.

Last week, state officials closed the section of Riverfront Drive in North Little Rock between Olive and Pine streets to allow for demolition work.

On Oct. 1, crews closed McGowan Street in Little Rock to construct a single-lane onramp that will connect the I-30 westbound frontage road to I-630. The long-term closure was still in effect this week.

State officials expect to reduce the on-ramp to I-30 westbound to one lane, according to a news release from the department.