FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — If you travel on Wedington Drive in Fayetteville, you will notice changes to the Interstate 49 onramp starting Wednesday, Oct. 11.
Drivers heading east on Wedington Drive will no longer cross traffic for the northbound I-49 onramp— instead, drivers will use a cloverleaf ramp. According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), drivers will need to be in the righthand lane as they travel over the bridge and exit toward I-49 North.
Drivers will exit on the right for the Clover ramp directly after crossing the bridge. The loop will also eliminate the need for a traffic signal to stop westbound motorists, officials say.
ARDOT says the lane shift is temporary, and traffic flow will go back to normal after a few weeks.
The City of Fayetteville and ARDOT have been discussing these changes for years, with the first discussion of the need for change back in 2014 with the bid for construction being unveiled in 2020. Work officially started on the project in 2021.
Dave Parker with ARDOT says that includes widening the Wedington Bridge from two lanes to five and adding sidewalks on either side. Parker says an expansion to Wedington Drive is needed and will make the area safer and less congested.
"You get about 60,000 cars a day on that bridge. When you add both east and westbound traffic, I think it's like 38,000 on one side and 24,000 on the other, so it is way overdue to have a widening. " Parker said.
Manhattan Road and Bridge Company out of Tulsa bid $37.8 million for the project.
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