Opening East/West Access
Northwest Arkansas routinely ranks as one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, as high as 14th according to the United States Census. In response to that trend, the area has desired an east/west oriented freeway for decades.
To join the Garver-designed, north/south Interstate 49, the area now has a facility to welcome east/west travel in the future U.S. Highway 412 Bypass. The four-mile, four-lane controlled access facility north of Springdale, Arkansas connects State Highway 112 to the west and Interstate 49 to the east, and was designed to accommodate future growth.
“This roadway has been a long time coming for this area,” said Roadway Team Leader John Cantabery. “It improves connectivity to I-49, provides safe and efficient movement of traffic within the region, and helps reduce congestion.”
Design included overpasses at Highway 112, Grimsley Road, Zion Road, and Spring Street; as well as main lane, dual bridges over Spring Creek and Wagon Wheel Road.
Part of the Arkansas Department of Transportation’s Connecting Arkansas Program, for which Garver is providing program management, design considerations were made for the terrain. Just south of the Ozark Mountains and near a large quarry, the design included many deep cuts and fills to bring to life a route that provides better access to, among other attractions, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.
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