Arkansas highway officials planning many changes to Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith

Replacing center turn lanes with raised medians along the majority of Rogers Avenue from Waldron Road to 74th Street will allow for better and safer traffic flow, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT).

Plans for an up to $20 million project to improve on sections of Highway 22 (Rogers Avenue) were shown at a public input meeting Thursday (May 30) at the Fort Smith Public Library. ARDOT is asking public comments on the project through June 14. Link here to see details of the project and to submit public comment.

ARDOT is implementing capacity improvements at the Rogers Avenue/Interstate 540 interchange and along the main lanes of Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith. The improvements will include the construction of a raised median along the main lanes of Rogers Avenue, as well as intersection improvements at various signalized intersections along the main lanes of Rogers Avenue.

The improvements will also include widening the road to add capacity to the off-ramps within the footprint of the interchange. There also will be some alignment improvements along several of the left-turn lanes at various signals at intersections along the main lanes of Rogers Avenue.

Ellen Coulter, ARDOT media communications manager, said replacing the turn lanes with raised medians is a safety measure that will allow for safer left turns by limiting them to signaled intersections.

“It also will allow for better traffic flow,” Coulter said.

The raised medians will be constructed along Rogers Avenue on two segments of the project from Waldron Road to the I-540 interchange and from the interchange to 68th Street, according to ARDOT. The medians are initially designed to be concrete, Coulter said.

“It is a possibility for landscaping to be added. Sometimes the city will agree to take ownership of an added feature like that. It’s possible,” she said regarding landscaping on the median.

The project will be let to contract in 2026 and will probably take about two years. A more exact cost estimate will be available when design plans are nearer to completion, Coulter said.

The final section of the project is from 68th Street to 74th Street and will include improvements at several of the left turn lanes at some signalized intersections along the main lanes of Rogers Avenue. From 70th street to 74th STreet, there will be no raised median.

A typical section of the project will consist of four 11-foot travel lanes with a raised median to include curb and gutter. There will be a five-foot sidewalk and a three-foot firm on the north side of the highway and a 10-foot sidepath with a six-foot firm on the south side. The design speed for the project is 35 miles per hour.

The project is scheduled to be let for bid in July 2025 with work to begin in 2026. The date is subject to change, ARDOT said.