Manila bypass completed, four lane from Jonesboro to Blytheville nearly complete

For decades, economic developers, business and civic leaders have dreamed of an expansion of Arkansas 18 between Jonesboro and Blytheville. That four lane dream is on the verge of becoming a reality.

A critical piece, the Manila bypass has been completed, Arkansas Highway Commissioner Alec Farmer told Talk Business & Politics. The bypass that bifurcates Manila is about four miles long and cost $14.5 million to complete, according to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

“It’s exciting … this will have a major impact for the region,” Farmer said. “It will help to spur job creation and alleviate traffic problems.”

The only stretch of highway that isn’t four laned is the section of Arkansas 18 near Big Lake and it’s the toughest part of the lane-widening project, AHTD District 10 engineer Brad Smithee told Talk Business & Politics. The section is only a little over a mile, but it has a series of bridges that have to be replaced, he said. The water and terrain make the construction logistics difficult, he added.

Part of the problem is that the bridges have to be built to earthquake resistant standards, Farmer said. Piers have to be embedded deeper into the ground, and it will take longer to do the dirt work than on a typical project, he said.

The project will cost more than $35 million and is slated to be completed sometime in 2020, Smithee said. Predicting when a project of this size will be finished is difficult, he added. Federally and state protected lands abut the route. Bridge work along a heavily used road can be problematic and replacing three will be a significant challenge, Smithee said. Workers will have to build one side of the bridge, and then transfer traffic to build the other side.

The project was allotted 800 working days which means it could go into 2021. AHTD uses a formula with contractors to determine a “working day.” If 60% of the contractor’s workforce can work 60% of a day, it counts as a working day. For example, if a contractor has 10 workers and they’re scheduled to work a 10-hour shift starting at 6 a.m. then at least six workmen have to work until noon, or the day doesn’t count. This helps the state account for rainy afternoons and other weather events that might hamper construction, Smithee said.

AHTD chronicles the work days to ensure projects are completed on time, he said. The work days on this project may be measured differently, however, because of the potential environmental and unusual construction problems. The state doesn’t count work days from Dec. 21-March 15, according to AHTD.

The expanded highway has been called a “five-lane” highway in many press accounts, but those are not accurate, Smithee said. Standard lanes are 12-feet wide. The middle or so-called turn lane on this highway is only 11-feet wide. It can be used as a turn lane, but it’s really a safety feature that divides traffic, he said.

Once this last stretch is completed, it will be another major artery connecting Northeast Arkansas to neighboring states, and will greatly improve safety and commerce movement, Farmer said. It’s been a dream for many policy makers for many years, and it’s on the verge of becoming a reality, he said.

“It’s a big accomplishment,” Farmer said.