June 29, 2022
Contact: Chris Brown
Public Works Director
479-575-8206
cbrown@fayetteville-ar.gov
E. Rock St., S. College Ave. to close for Archibald Yell improvements
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Beginning Tuesday, July 5, E. Rock St. and S. College Ave. will be closed at their points of intersection with Archibald Yell Blvd. to allow work to begin on a multi-stage project to improve driver and pedestrian safety on Archibald Yell from Rock to Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Closures on E. Rock and S. College are anticipated to continue through December. Drivers are asked to be observant and use extra care when driving in this area. Signs indicating road closures, road work and detours will be present on all three streets.
Planned improvements to the three-way intersection of Archibald Yell, S. College and E. Rock will address several driver and pedestrian safety issues. Work planned for later this year will require lane closures on Archibald Yell; however, all lanes currently remain open on that road.
Future stages of the project will include installation of a traffic signal at W. South St. and a reconfiguration of driving lanes on Archibald Yell to three lanes: one northbound, one southbound and one central turning lane. Also, a pedestrian/bike lane will be created between Rock and S. School. City officials expect the entire project to be complete in Summer 2023.
As part of the City’s 71B Corridor Plan and Mobility Plan, extensive public input has been collected on this project and incorporated into design plans. Additional public input was collected through two questionnaires on SpeakUp Fayetteville, the City’s online public-engagement portal.
Archibald Yell divides the historic downtown grid of streets south and east of the square. Analysis conducted between the 71B Corridor and Mobility Plans found the four-lane, high-speed road is a barrier for access between neighborhoods to the south and east of downtown. This project will reduce or eliminate mobility barriers, help calm traffic and make it safer to walk or drive this corridor.
Additionally, the intersection at Archibald Yell, S. College and Rock has a history of accidents and needs improvements to help drivers safely navigate. For more information about the Archibald Yell improvements project, including a current closure map, traffic studies, concept layouts and public input, visit the City’s website at www.fayetteville-ar.gov/archibaldyell.
City Council approved a $2,995,576.53 construction budget for this project on May 17, 2022. The project is funded by the Streets Improvement Bond approved by Fayetteville voters in 2019. To learn about Fayetteville’s 2019 bond program and view current projects, go to https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/3539/2019-Fayetteville-Bond-Information.
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