ARDOT to release findings of two highway studies in Northwest Arkansas
by January 24, 2025 10:56 am 718 views

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) will host three public meetings next week to review findings from the Highway 59 and Highway 72 Corridor Study and the Western North-South Connector Study.
The three meetings will be identical, according to a Friday (Jan. 24) news release.
The first meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 28) at Gentry Public Library, 105 E. Main St. in Gentry. The second will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 29) at Decatur Municipal Building, 310 Maple Ave. in Decatur. The third will be hosted from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 30) at Gravette High School, 325 Lion Drive South in Gravette.
Meeting materials will be available online starting Monday (Jan. 27). Also, ArDOT will start accepting comments on the findings on Monday. The comment deadline is 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Link here for the meeting materials and to make online comments, both of which will be available on Monday.
In August 2023, ARDOT hosted the first meetings to gather feedback on the Highway 59 and Highway 72 Corridor Study to determine whether to improve about 30 miles of state highways in western Benton County.
In January 2019, the Arkansas Highway Commission directed ARDOT staff to complete a feasibility study and needs assessment for a proposed north-south highway in Benton and Washington counties. Previous public meetings for the Western North-South Connector Study took place in 2020 and 2023. ARDOT previously estimated the new highway might cost up to $250 million to build.