LR share for roads' redesign requested
Posted on Sunday, January 4, 2009
The city of Little Rock has to pony up more than $60,000 for its share of the first phase of the Interstate 630/Interstate 430 interchange redesign, a $17 million project that motorists will see begin to take shape by spring.
Most of the $17 million will go toward adding another lane for motorists heading north on I-430 from I-630 west. But it also includes changes to city streets, designed for easier access to South Shackleford Road and Financial Centre Parkway from I-430 south. Part of the costs of those changes must be borne by the city, because the state pays only for work on state-controlled roads.
"This is something that is long overdue," said Michael Keck, a city director whose west Little Rock constituents are among the tens of thousands who daily use the congested interchange.
Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore has formally requested the city Board of Directors to approve a resolution authorizing the payment of $61,752.74, which represents 10 percent of the cost to reconstruct the traffic signal at South Shackleford and Hermitage roads, and 20 percent of the cost for a signal at Financial Centre Parkway and Hermitage and Harden roads. The resolution is on the agenda for the board's meeting Tuesday.
Officials say the interchange needs to be reconfigured because it wasn't designed to handle the traffic it does now and congestion will only worsen. The interchange is used by 180,000 vehicles a day, according to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
By 2025, the traffic is expected to grow to 250,000 vehicles daily.
Congress has earmarked $16 million for the project, a fraction of its $130 million price tag, which includes adding lanes in both directions to I-630 east to University Avenue.
The first phase comprises aspects of the project that can be done quickly and inexpensively, officials have said. The initial modifications, for instance, can be made without purchasing additional rights of way.
More expensive improvements will have to wait. They include a series of flyovers and new ramps to alleviate the other two major problems with the interchange: the morning backup on I-430 in both directions and the need for drivers westbound on I-630 to stop at South Shackleford to reach Chenal Parkway.
Until the project has more money, drivers will have to settle for the relatively modest improvements for now.
"You've got to walk before you run," said Steve Beck, the city's public works director.
Eliminating the left-hand turn onto South Shackleford will be a welcome improvement. Beck takes the long way to the shopping mecca at Chenal Parkway and Bowman Road from his home off Breckenridge Drive to avoid having to turn left onto South Shackleford.
"That was one of the main things I was excited about," he said. "I go the back way. It's so hard to make that left there."
To eliminate the turn, the project will construct a ramp allowing motorists to continue traveling south on the off-ramp and then turn toward the intersection of South Shackleford and Hermitage. Now, drivers can only enter I-430 south at Hermitage. Once the ramp to Hermitage is constructed, a new traffic signal will be installed at the intersection. At that point, drivers will be able to turn with a traffic light onto South Shackleford in either direction or continue through the intersection to Financial Centre Parkway.
Because the design changes likely will increase traffic to Financial Centre and Chenal parkways, a traffic signal will be installed at Hermitage and Financial Centre Parkway. Hermitage changes into Harden at that intersection.
Keck suspects the changes will take some getting used to.
"It's one of those things where it's change, it's different," he said. "But there is a tremendous need to do things differently and facilitate traffic. I'm confident the design will help traffic get off the freeway so much easier."
Vehicles still will be able to use the original off-ramp if they want to turn right, or north, onto South Shackleford toward West Markham Street, said Randy Ort, a state Highway Department spokesman.
Weaver-Bailey Contractors Inc. of El Paso is the contractor. Its $17.3 million bid was the only one submitted for the project in November.
The longtime road builder was part of a joint venture that reconstructed and widened a section of Interstate 40 in North Little Rock and recently wrapped up work on a project to widen a section of U.S. 67/167, also in North Little Rock.
Little Rock is paying 20 percent of the $222,317.73 cost for the traffic signal work at Hermitage and Financial Centre Parkway and Harden, and 10 percent of the $172,891.91 cost of the traffic signal work at South Shackleford and Hermitage, said Glenn Bolick, a state Highway Department spokesman.
State officials estimate the city's total share of the $130 million project to be between $2 million and $3 million. Like the initial project, state officials say, the city's share will come in smaller increments.
The initial project "is the foundation and base work on how to do the other phases at the interchange," Keck said. "It's not going to be an easy process, but when it's all said and done, it's going to be something viewed in a real positive way."
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