Retailers Weigh Congestion Costs

If drivers in Northwest Arkansas experienced the gridlock problems of those in Little Rock, the congestion could cost them $32 million a year. That’s based on a 2003 population of 345,000 that was analyzed in the 2005 Urban Mobility Report, produced by the Texas Transportation Institute.

Census estimates indicate Northwest Arkansas’ two-county population is supposed to be between 476,224 and 531,254 by 2010.

If our area experiences the current congestion problems of Little Rock, then commuters traveling at peak hours could use a total of 1 million gallons of excess fuel (8 gallons per person), the study indicated.

Congestion could cost an estimated $173 per person per year and cause total delays amounting to 1,976 hours.

But that doesn’t stop people from grabbing a cup of java at Kennedy Coffee Roasting Co. at one of the most congested intersections in Benton County, Arkansas Highway 102 and Moberly Lane.

At 8 a.m. on a recent Tuesday morning, traffic was backed up bumper-to-bumper from the Homestead Antique Mall in Rogers past Bekaert Drive all the way to I-540.

Tom Kennedy, co-owner of Kennedy Coffee, said since the store opened in January 2003, sales have increased consistently.

Kennedy, who owns the business with wife Khristian Kennedy, said half of his days’ business is done before 11 a.m.

“Even though we are somewhat a destination spot, it is extremely important for a coffee house to have that convenient drive-by location. You have to assume a small percentage of the drive-by traffic will come in,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said 400 to 500 customers per day walk through his store.

At a $4 average order, that could mean more than $2,000 in sales per day.

The Arkansas State Highway department estimates the intersection of I-540 and 102 gets about 46,400 cars per day (see chart, p. 19).

He said the crowd ranges from suits in the early morning hours to retirees mid-morning, to the high school/college crowd in the evenings.

The Kennedy Coffee crowd at 9:40 a.m. that Tuesday included a steady stream of mothers driving sport utility vehicles: a Honda Element toting a toddler and his tennis racket-packing brother; and a navy-blue Ford Expedition with a baby in the backseat and a pro-George Bush “W” sticker on the back window. An employee from Action Honda, one from Buffalo Wild Wings and a nurse were also customers as the clock crept closer to 10 a.m.

Kennedy said it would make things easier for his customers if Moberly were widened and if there was more parking with wider driveways.

Chris Meyer, who owns three area Quiznos stores with wife Allison Meyer, said the right location, coupled with the right parking situation is key.

They own the Quiznos with the highest volume in the state, and it’s located just off Walnut and 46th Streets at the entrance to Scottsdale Center.

Walnut Street and I-540 sees an average of 58,800 cars pass through per day, according to Arkansas Highway Department estimates.

He said the store does well because of the destination locations around it.

“Even though there is a lot of traffic that would normally sting you, it doesn’t in that location because of the different crowds that come at different times of the day,” Meyer said. He said the daytime worker crowd differs from the nighttime crowd, who visit his store before going to shop.

He said one major deciding factor in choosing this location was the number of ingress and egress points — entrances and exits — within the parking area. He said the rear dining entrance and rear parking lot help the congested Rogers location tremendously.

He’s seen customers give up and leave at his Fayetteville location off College Avenue because of the lack of parking at peak times.

“Is there enough [parking] to cover your rush time?” Meyer asked. “It’s not a big deal 90 percent of your day, but there is about an hour and a half at lunch and an hour at dinner where it matters.”

Meyer said there are high-traffic areas that would seem great, but aren’t because customers can’t get in and out easily. He mentioned the former location of Uncle Jay’s Barbeque off Walton Boulevard and 8th Street in Bentonville as an example.

“They were right on the intersection, so five seconds after the light turns red, traffic is backed up,” Meyer said. “You want to be set far enough back and you want to be on the right.”

Hopper Weighs In

Tom Hopper, president of Crafton Tull & Associates Inc. in Rogers and developer of Scottsdale Center, said the Rogers shopping center has been more successful than even he imagined.

“The restaurants that went in asked me if I thought there would be enough people to eat lunch there,” Hopper said. “The point being, Scottsdale Center has been more successful than people would have dreamed.”

Hopper said Scottsdale isn’t to blame for all of the traffic congestion at the I-540 and Walnut Street interchange.

“The issue is traffic going east and west between Rogers and Bentonville on Walton Boulevard and Walnut Street,” Hopper said.

“We’re not saying that Scottsdale traffic doesn’t add to it,” he said. “There is no question that some consumers have chosen not to come down Walnut Street to deal with the interchange, but that goes with progress.”

Hopper said he looks forward to the Rogers master plan that intends to widen 40th and 45th Streets to ease some of the traffic pressure on Walnut and I-540.

“Interstates are built for taking traffic across the country,” Hopper said. “They aren’t built for dealing with local traffic.”

He said a frontage road along I-540 between New Hope Road and Walnut Street would also help solve some issues.

“If you’ve got a successful development, you are going to have traffic,” Hopper said. “And the challenge for the state highway department, the city and the developer is looking to see what can be done to solve the problem.”

He said the sales taxes generated from Scottsdale far outweigh any other consideration.

“There are plenty of people that would love to have that problem to deal with,” Hopper said.