PRAIRIE GROVE -- A right turn lane at the traffic signal at U.S. 62 and U.S. 62B should open this week, reducing a long line of traffic of local residents wanting to turn to go into Prairie Grove, especially during the evening rush hour.
Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works, said he was glad to see crews show up to install a turn lane in the southbound lane of the new highway at the intersection of Heritage Parkway and Douglas Street.
"The happiest two things in town that have happened are the turn lane and that a new Dollar General is coming," Oelrich said.
After the new Prairie Grove bypass opened in September 2014, it didn't take long for people to start calling City Hall and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department about a right turn lane at the intersection on the east side of the new highway.
Oelrich said he was getting 10 calls a day from people complaining about the long wait at the traffic light. Jeff Stroud, who has since retired as resident engineer with the highway department, was also receiving calls about the lack of a turn lane.
Oelrich said his personal observations showed about 50 percent of the traffic went straight at the traffic light and the other half turned right to go through town.
"I think they (highway officials) realized pretty quickly it was needed," Oelrich said. "I'm surprised there hasn't been an accident."
Mayor Sonny Hudson said the new turn lane will work better, be safer and "get people where they want to go a lot quicker."
He added, "I think it's going to work great. I can see the intersection from my window and there are a great deal of vehicles waiting to turn onto 62B. Everything comes to a stop when one car wants to go straight. The flow will be much better."
Bashar Qedan, resident engineer, last week said the highway department approved a change order to the original construction contract to install a turn lane and make two other improvements to the project.
The 325-foot turn lane will cost about $45,000. It was almost finished last week, except for re-striping. Qedan said he was waiting on dry weather to have the subcontractor come in and stripe the turn lane.
The two other improvements in the change order were to prevent future erosion of a ditch along the highway across from City Hall and redesign the grade for trucks coming from Bob Kidd Road onto the highway.
Qedan said the highway department did not realize how much water flowed from the hill at City Hall. Spring flooding eroded parts of the ditch and to prevent future erosion, the highway department paved the culvert.
On the western end of the highway, trucks pulling trailers loaded with cars from Copart have been getting stuck as they tried to turn onto the highway from County Road 636 or Bob Kidd Road. The car carrier trailers are low to the ground.
"We've redesigned the grade on it and put in more asphalt," Qedan said. "The study didn't look at the type of vehicles coming across this road. They are so low to the ground that the grade had to be redesigned."
General News on 07/29/2015