Wayfinding Project Nears Completion

The wayfinding project championed by the Northwest Arkansas Council is about done, at least in the cities along U.S. 71B.

While the program might not wrap up until December 2017 in Eureka Springs and Siloam Springs, contractor Ken’s Signs of Springdale is down to the “punch list” in Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Springdale and Fayetteville.

The wayfinding is the latest effort to define Northwest Arkansas as a region, not a collection of competing towns.

“Beyond the signs themselves and the comfort it provides to tourists who may be unfamiliar with the area’s key destinations, the wayfinding system is proof that our communities can collaborate and it serves as a model for future collaboration,” said Stacey Sturner, program manager for the council.

The blue signs were designed by Merje, a Pennsylvania company, and fabricated by Virginia-based Architectural Graphics Inc.

Planners are now looking at the possibility of installing signage in some of the region’s other towns, such as Prairie Grove and Huntsville.

The $1.3-million signage program, patterned on the original signs installed in Bentonville for the opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, will include 260 signs when completed.

The signs serve as guides to 77 locations and attractions. All seven cities contributed to the program, as did the Endeavor Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.