Interstate 540 opens, relieves traffic from U.S. 71

The largest highway project in Arkansas — the $459 million construction of Interstate 540 from Alma to Fayetteville — was completed in early January. The highway was officially dedicated and opened to traffic on Jan. 8.

Dignitaries on hand for the dedication included U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and Bobby Hopper of Springdale. The twin, 1,600-foot-long tunnels along the highway near Winslow were named the Bobby Hopper Tunnel in honor of Hopper, who served on the state highway commission for 16 years, longer than any other board member in history.

The project consisted of 42 miles of roadway. The highway that is designated Interstate 540 is a total of 50 miles long. Construction of eight miles of 540 was completed years ago and is often referred to as the Fayetteville bypass.

The four-lane, controlled-access 540 traverses the Ozark Mountains from Interstate 40 at Alma to the northern edge of Fayetteville, where it connects with U.S. Highway 71. The southernmost 10-mile segment of the roadway (from Alma to Mountainburg) was completed three years ago.

Interstate 540 has taken the majority of traffic off busy U.S. 71, a primarily two-lane highway that runs parallel to 540. According to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, about 11,700 vehicles per day have traveled Interstate 540 since it was opened to traffic, leaving only about 3,100 vehicles per day snaking through the Ozark hills on U.S. 71, which has been slated for “scenic byway” designation. In February 1998, some 12,000 vehicles clogged U.S. 71 daily.

A major construction project within the highway project is the creation of the tunnels near Winslow, the only highway tunnels in Arkansas.

The tunnels cost $37.1 million (which is included in the overall cost above). J.F. Shea Co. of Walnut, Calif., was the general contractor for the tunnels, each of which is 44 feet wide and about 27 feet high.

At about $10 million per mile, Interstate 540 is the most expensive highway project in Arkansas history. Federal highway guidelines are strict concerning hills and curves, so it costs more to build interstate highways through the Ozark Mountains than it would to build other roadways in the area.

Construction on 540 began in January 1987 at the Interstate 40 interchange in Alma.

Speaking with reporters after the dedication, Slater said the highway department will soon request federal funds to extend 540 South from Fort Smith to Texarkana (along the route of U.S. 71).

U.S. Highway 412

The second-largest highway project in Northwest Arkansas is construction of the White River bridge over part of Beaver Lake east of Springdale and widening of about six miles of U.S. Highway 412 approaching the bridge. The entire cost of the project is estimated at $26.8 million.

Work began in September 1997 and should be completed in late 1999, says Keith Stephens, a spokesman for the highway department.

U.S. Highway 412 will be widened to four lanes from near the Springdale Airport east for about four miles to the bridge. The highway will also be widened to four lanes for about two miles — to Nob Hill — east of the bridge.

The bridge and immediate approaches are 1.4 miles in length. The bridge project alone is estimated at $10 million. The new bridge will replace a two-lane bridge just to the south of the new route.

Benton County projects

The next two major projects, in cost, for Northwest Arkansas concern widening two major highways in Benton County: the $4.9 million widening of a 2.2-mile segment of U.S. Highway 71B (Walnut Street) from Dixieland Road to U.S. Highway 71 in Rogers and the $3.7 million widening of a 1.6-mile segment of Arkansas Highway 102 in Bentonville.

For Rogers motorists heading west on U.S. 71B, the street bottlenecks from five lanes to four at Dixieland Road, then from four lanes to three at the intersection of 21st Street. The 21st Street intersection is in between a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Kmart Store where traffic is heavy and motorists frequently clog the center lane trying to turn left.

The result is a busy highway where many accidents occur (particularly rear-end collisions) and traffic moves slowly. Many motorists avoid the area entirely by taking 102, New Hope Road or other east-west arteries instead.

Construction began in the summer of 1998. The Rogers project is expected to be completed in late 1999. The highway will remain open while construction is underway. The Bentonville project should be completed by mid- 1999.