You may have noticed the buzz about the changes coming to Garland Avenue. This discussion has been ongoing for years, and it is finally nearing an end, but at least one thing is still undecided.
What we know
At this point, we know the design is going to have sidewalks and bike lanes. Hooray!
We know that some of the busier intersections need to be improved. At first, this means adding left-turn lanes (also called “stacking” lanes) and probably traffic signals.
We also know from traffic models that if things continue like they have been, Garland will eventually need four lanes.
That’s what we know: two lanes for bicycles, stacking lanes and traffic signals, curbs, sidewalks, and eventually four travel lanes.
And what we don’t know
Here is what we don’t know: Will there be a turn lane, or a median, or traffic islands? When the Street Committee finally settled on a design this year, it included a median. I’m a member of the Street Committee, and we were clear: we want an iconic boulevard for our community. The full City Council agreed with us.
But, since Garland doubles as State Highway 112, our plans have to be approved by the Highway Department (AHTD).
AHTD responds “… rejected …”
Unfortunately, the Highway Department rejected the idea. We weren’t surprised. Instead, they proposed four travel lanes and a continuous turn lane, essentially a five lane configuration just like you see out on West Wedington or South Crossover.
That particular five-lane configuration is something none of us want for Garland. There are all sorts of problems with it, but it’s the preferred design by AHTD because of its familiarity and low-cost.
As a compromise, the City administration is proposing “refuge islands,” which are basically short sections of medians with trees that would be included in the design AHTD submitted. The islands aren’t what we want, but they may be the best we can get from AHTD.
It’s also entirely possible they will reject the islands just as they did our original design. This isn’t the first time AHTD and the City has disagreed about how a new or improved street should look. Sometimes AHTD gets their way, and sometimes Fayetteville gets theirs.
At least, that’s how it seems on the surface, but our relationship with them isn’t so black and white.
How you can help
In the past, Fayetteville has appeared schizophrenic to AHTD. For years, the City and the citizens couldn’t reach agreements about the designs for South Crossover and West Wedington, which double as state highways just like Garland does. Eventually, AHTD and the City Administration got fed up with debate and decided to just get on with it, and that’s why those streets aren’t boulevards and don’t have bike lanes.
In other cases, like the changes being made to downtown College Ave and North Crossover (neither of which are completed), the City and the citizens did reach an agreement, and we are getting beautiful streets with boulevard features.
History teaches us this lesson: when the City and the citizens are unified, AHTD listens to our community. When we can reach an agreement, they know they have the political cover to do something out-of-the-ordinary, like a boulevard where they would normally pave over our yards and greenspace for five ugly and unsafe lanes.
For Garland’s future, this is the heart of the matter: will the citizens ask AHTD to give them a median? The City Administration wants one but doesn’t think it has widespread citizen support. Both of the Ward 2 Aldermen want medians (Kyle Cook made the original proposal and I’m the other Alderman for Ward 2), and the Street Committee voted to adopt it unanimously.
City Hall has reached a consensus.
But it’s only the first step, because AHTD wants to negotiate and we need you to help us get what is best for Fayetteville.
It’s urgent, because we can’t start other street projects until we start this one. It’s been more than two years, and it’s time to get started on Garland.
We’re hosting a meeting to explain how
When: July 16, 6:30pm
Where: Trinity United Methodist Church, at Sycamore and Garland
The City will present these topics for discussion:
- proposed changes and street design
- a history of Garland, relevant proposals, and the street bond issue
- how we can be strategic with the Highway Department
- why we need to get started soon
For more information, please contact Alderman Matthew Petty.
Matthew Petty
Fayetteville
Fayetteville Speaks is your chance to express opinions and ideas for possible publication here on the Fayetteville Flyer. The opinions expressed here are not those of the Fayetteville Flyer. See our submissions page for full guidelines.
Update: Please fill out this survey, and share the link with your friends however you can: http://tr.im/garland
Thanks Matt. I took the survey. I appreciate you sticking up for things like boulevards. They are things that can be done right the first time that improve our city for decades.
If only we’d had some good planners and council members around when they decided to four-lane College Avenue. Imagine the huge trees we’d have by now if they’d planted a median back then…
Glad to see the ‘turn lanes are unsafe’ mantra is still being repeated…
Turning lanes would be a lot safer if people would not use them as merging lanes. Cops should be handing out tickets for that as fast as they can, but I see it happen all the time. I do dislike the 5 lane approach. Thanks for the link to the survey.
Thanks Matthew. I’ll pass the survey along. I hope to be there Thursday.
Thanks Matt(from Ward 2 dude). Good work on getting the survey out on the project!
That road needs to be 4 lane NOW!
There would be huge improvements at rush hour. During football and basketball season, that roadway could be a major thouroughfare to move traffic to and from campus!!
I would like to see action that we do not put another 5 lane road in Fayetteville! I know the fight is on for direction with the 265 project, but it is exactly these fights that makes Fayetteville different from all the basic 5 lane gridwork that gets slapped down in Bentonville.
After 265 is complete, the fight of century has to be had to bring North street across to 265. No one is going to want a 5 lane road heading across town. We ought to just state the fact and start planning on how we are going to make that happen and pay for it.
Great idea on the survey, Matt! I don’t know how many responses you will get, but that is a great way to get input from citizens without them having to go to the meetings. I did get a phone call once for a teleconference town meeting… that was awesome as well.
Regarding Mullva’s comment, I live directly on Mission Blvd. and am curious to know if there are any plans for altering it between North and 265 in the future. I know there was ramblings about widening it awhile back, but it was determined that the problem wasn’t traffic volume but the flow of traffic. Since there are few stoplights on that stretch of road it seems that there is just a steady trickle of cars that makes it difficult to turn onto Mission during rush hour. I would say I agree, but that is probably becuase I don’t want the road to widen into my yard.
It’s been less than 24 hours and I have more than 130 responses.
73 percent want a tree-lined median
and 92 percent want that or the islands
This is exactly the kind of data we need if we want the highway department to do what City Hall proposes.
Thanks for all of the comments guys. Did you share the link with anyone? http://tr.im/garland
Has Sue Madison voiced an opinion on this? This seems like something she should actually be involved with, as opposed to lingering around liquor stores in Springdale.
Does anybody know if there are plans to put a light in at Razorback & 15th? If not, there needs to be!
[...] case you’ve somehow missed out on all the hubbub, Garland Avenue is getting a makeover. An extreme makeover. Complete with a new hairstyle, full wardrobe and most importantly, a double D [...]
[...] The project, which is already a year behind schedule, is a complete redesign of a small stretch of Garland Avenue from North Street to Janice Drive. The two-lane road is in desperate need of being widened and City officials are trying to keep the state from simply paving a five-lane, College Avenue-esque street that would begin at Harps Foods and end about .75 miles to the north. [...]
Hey Matt Petty:
Did the state accept the revised median plan? Is there somewhere we can see the final plan online?