The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) wants public feedback on its proposed improvements to Zero Street and Interstate 540/Arkansas Highway 255 in Fort Smith in the far western part of the state.

The project calls for upgrades at the I-540 and Ark. 255 interchange in the city, with signal improvements at the intersection of Ark. 255 and 36th Street, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported Oct. 15.

The proposal also includes a realignment of the I-540 southbound on-ramp to intersect 36th Street through a button-hook intersection.

"The reason they're looking at intersection improvements is the highway and Interstate 540 are running parallel, and they each have a couple of stoplights involved," Dave Parker, public information officer of ARDOT, told the local news source.

"It sounds like it was a duplication of roads, almost, so it was creating a little bit more traffic congestion than anyone wanted," he added. "The proposal would eliminate a couple of the stoplights and combine one of the interchanges to condense it from two down to one, which in theory will allow the traffic to flow quicker, easier and better."

Parker said the road improvements are expected to cost anywhere from $1 million to $3 million, with construction slated to start next fall and finish in the spring of 2025.

Reducing Traffic Congestion Is Goal

The Democrat Gazette reported that the state transportation agency held a public involvement meeting in Fort Smith Oct. 12 to explain the project to attendees and hear their feedback.

State Rep. Cindy Crawford, R-District 51, which includes portions of Fort Smith and Sebastian County, also was on hand for the meeting and afterwards told the newspaper that the plans put forth by ARDOT sounded great. She noted that her constituents have complained about congestion in the area, especially as people are traveling home from work in the afternoon.

"It's very dangerous, because you have three lights in a row, and [the improvements] will take one of those lights out," Crawford said. "It will also allow the exit ramp coming off of I-540 onto Zero [Street] to be able to flow, where now it has a light that says 'no right turn on red.' So that traffic will be able to flow as well. [The project will take] care of congestion in two different places."

Other folks attended the ARDOT meeting to see how the construction and new street layout may impact their businesses.

Michael Justice, with Bill White Volkswagen at 3510 S. Zero St., said the meeting helped answer some of his questions, but did not relieve his concerns.

"When they're in construction, they're going to impact the entrance to the front on Zero Street, and then on the side they're going to move the road away from it there, but also bring three-lane traffic, so it will be harder to get in and out of the side," he told the Democrat Gazette.

ARDOT currently has an interactive map and videos of the Fort Smith road project, as well as ways to submit comments about it, at the agency's website, www.ardot.gov. By searching for the project's number, 040889, visitors can leave comments about the proposed interchange improvements until Oct. 27 at 4:30 p.m.

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