For Immediate Release
August 31, 2015
Contact: Chris Brown
City Engineer
Engineering Division
479.575.8207
cbrown@fayetteville-ar.gov
PUBLIC INVITED TO RUPPLE ROAD GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The City of Fayetteville is excited to announce a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, September 2, at 11:00 a.m. at the southern-most end of the existing N. Rupple Road near Owl Creek School, 375 N. Rupple Road. The public is invited to attend. The groundbreaking is set to kick off an extension of Rupple Road, the first segment of the Rupple Road Improvement Project – the largest project of the Transportation Bond Program approved by citizens in 2006.
The Rupple Road Improvement Project is a significant piece of infrastructure on the west side of the “Mayor’s Box,” a plan to create an integrated network of east/west and north/south roadways around the perimeter of the City, connected with miles of trails and sidewalks. The connecting pieces of Rupple Road will provide a much needed arterial roadway from W. Mount Comfort Road to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. When completed, the Rupple Road Improvement Project will improve traffic flow, serving as an alternate to the north/south route on I-49, and will complete the connectivity with the emerging trail system as well.
Rupple Road improvements – W. Persimmon Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
This segment of Rupple Road Improvement Project will extend Rupple Road south from Owl Creek School (just south of W. Persimmon Street) to connect with Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at the intersection with Smokehouse Trail. Construction on this segment will begin in September and will take approximately 12 months to complete. The $7.3 million project is being constructed for the City by Sweetser Construction, Inc.
This segment will include:
• Four lanes divided by a grass median with trees
• Grass median designed to accommodate the storm water runoff from the street
• 5-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of the roadway
• 12-foot wide shared-use paved trail along the west side of the roadway
• Signalization of the intersection with Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (upon approval of AHTD)
• Street connections to W. Alberta Street and Catalpa Drive with a four-way roundabout
• Two additional roundabouts for future collector streets
The extension of Rupple Road is one of three segments that will be completed along the Rupple Road corridor in the coming years. Other segments of the project are as follows:
Rupple Road Improvements – W. Persimmon Street to W. Wedington Drive
This segment of the project will widen the existing section of N. Rupple Road from W. Persimmon Street to Congressional Street, just north of W. Wedington Drive. This segment is currently being designed by the City’s Engineering Division; design is expected to be complete in late 2015. Construction will begin in early 2016 and be complete by the end of 2016.
This segment will include:
• Four lanes divided by a grass center median with trees
• 8-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of the roadway from W. Persimmon Street to W. Wedington Drive
• 12-foot wide shared-use paved trail along the west side of the roadway. The trail will also be extended south of W. Persimmon Street to connect with the trail completed in the first phase of construction
• Addition of a dedicated right turn lane at the intersection with W. Wedington Drive
• Extension of the turn lane for westbound W. Wedington Drive, to provide more stacking for drivers turning south on N. Rupple Road
• Signalization of the intersection with W. Persimmon Street
Rupple Road Improvements – W. Starry Night View to W. Mt. Comfort Road
The third segment of the project will relocate an existing portion of N. Rupple Road to align with the existing signalized intersection on W. Mt. Comfort Road. This relocation will alleviate the current undesirable offset intersection with W. Mt. Comfort Road and will make it much more efficient and safe for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, etc. This project is currently being designed by Garver Engineers and is expected to be complete in 2016. Construction is scheduled for 2017 and construction should take approximately 12 months to complete.
This segment will include:
• Four lanes divided by a grass center median with trees
• 6-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of the roadway
• 12-foot wide shared-use paved trail along the west side of the roadway
• New four-lane bridge over Hamestring Creek
• Dedicated right turn lane at the intersection with W. Mt. Comfort Road
• Creation of a four-way signaled intersection with W. Mt. Comfort Road
The Rupple Road Improvement Project has significance for furthering the vision and goals of the City’s Active Transportation Plan. With the inclusion of the 12-foot wide shared-use paved trail along the west side of the roadway, the first segment of improvements will complete the Rupple Road Trail connection from Owl Creek School at W. Persimmon Street south to Kessler Mountain at Smokehouse Road. Ultimately, the Rupple Road Trail will extend from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to the Clabber Creek Trail, located north of W. Mt. Comfort Road. Future trail construction includes extending the Hamestring Creek and Owl Creek Trails east and west of the Rupple Road Trail. The Rupple Road Trail will serve as the western backbone of a network of paved trails that will provide safe and accessible active transportation routes for neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and other destinations on the west side of the City.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan, a long-time proponent for infrastructure improvements as a foundation for the City’s quality of life and economic development efforts stated, “These new roads, trails, and sidewalks will not only alleviate traffic concerns we have had on the west side of town, they will bring connectivity to our citizens with access to safe and accessible transportation routes and to new retail and residential developments. This project brings enormous potential for our City by promoting alternative transportation, healthy lifestyles, and economic growth.”
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