Traffic passes along Garland Avenue north of Harps Foods.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff
With preliminary work now complete, construction is set to soon begin on the Garland Avenue widening project.
Crews began working in May to prepare the area by adding new water and sewer mains, fire hydrants and service connections for all structures along the length of the work zone from Harps Foods to Janice Avenue.
Map: Todd Gill
Construction barrels now line the west side of Garland Avenue where much of the widening will take place.
As part of the project, Mt. Comfort Road will be realigned to connect with Garland across from Holly Street, eliminating the awkward angled intersection near Harps.
New traffic signals will be installed at Deane, Sycamore and Holly streets.
The state and city are splitting the cost of the $6.7 million widening of the road, which doubles as Arkansas Highway 112.
The work is one of several road projects included in the $65 million Transportation Improvement Bond Program voters approved in 2006.
The state originally proposed a five-lane road with a continuous center turn lane similar to North College Avenue. Residents and city heads spent the next several years pressing state officials for a modified plan they believed would be a better fit for Fayetteville.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan and Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty held a public meeting in July 2009 to discuss ways residents could help pressure state officials into changing their plan, which included collecting input and comments using an online survey.
“What we want is something iconic,” said Petty. “Garland Avenue is as an entrance to our city and the University of Arkansas, and it deserves more than just a standard highway configuration.”
“I’ve never wanted a five lane road,” said Jordan. “I just don’t think they’re very safe.”
An agreement was eventually reached and once construction is complete, the stretch will include four lanes with a tree-lined median, new sidewalks and five-foot bike lanes on each side of the road.
The project is expected to be completed in spring 2014.
A signal at Sycamore AND at Deane? What kind of F’ed up idea is that? If you have a green on Sycamore, you better have green on NB garland or you’ll just sit and go nowhere.
that’s a lot of stop lights
From the same people that brought you 4 sets of lights on the HWY16 overpass!
Maybe we’ll eventually get a flyover!
It will be worse than you think, Euell. The cars stacked on Sycamore and Deane will never get on Garland because the traffic from the downstream lights on Garland will usually gridlock the upstream lights. We’ll need to hire a few extra cops just to write accident reports for people who tried to cross into the turn lane to get from Deane to Sycamore. Who says Fayetteville isn’t business-friendly? This will be great for insurance people and body shops as well as medical professionals, chiropractors and lawyers.
I’m not involved with the project but it would not be happening if a traffic study had not been performed to simulate what the traffic flow through the intersections would be once this project is complete. Any new signals placed that closely together will be coordinated so that, most of the time, vehicles will hit a series of green lights. Maybe we could give a little bit of credit to the City and State for taking on a much-needed street improvement project.
Maybe width would be an issue in this location, but it’d be cool to see the possibility of median bike/pedestrian paths in fayetteville: http://www.westernite.org/annualmeetings/sanfran10/Papers/Session%204_Papers/ITE%20Paper_4C-DeRobertis.pdf
I wish they could come up with a way to fix the little Mt Comfort cut through that connects North to Garland (between Mr. Burger and Mojos). Where that hits Garland is a cluster also, with Harps outlet and the outlet for Ozark Plaza all being right there together. There are lots of wrecks and near wrecks because of all that. I think they should either have the Oak Plaza Parking empty onto that Mt Comfort cut through instead of directly onto Garland, or not have Mt Comfort empty onto Garland and have it just feed the Oak Plaza parking lot. Or get rid of one of the TWO outlets from Oak Plaza onto Garland that are right next to each other. It is crazy there.
There is going to be a lot more pedestrian traffic on Garland because of the new sidewalks. Because of that closing that section of Mt Comfort and turning it into a food truck alley might be a compelling solution.
traffic studies in Fayetteville? awesome, i can’t wait to see the tunnel they must be building underneath the new apartment complex at Maple & West.
Or the tunnel under the precious Wilson Park Neighborhood, connecting Gregg to central Fayetteville.
My sympathies go out to the unfortunate people who will have to live next to this highway project. Cars rule!
Stay classy Fayetteville!
“five-foot bike lanes on each side of the road”
I like this part at least…just need to connect them to something.
The five lane idea with a center turning median would have been a far greater idea. People turning off could get out of the traffic flow instead of stopping traffic flow. Absence of lights would allow for smoother traffic flow. Considering Jordan’s love of tree-lined medians and bike paths, you have to wonder how much persuading needed to be done.
No way. Another Wedington/College Ave? That’s not what Fayetteville needs.
The city didn’t have to be pursuaded. The state did.
I’m glad the city took its time, and demanded some greenery. In 20 years, when the trees are mature, Garland will be a beautiful boulevard that pedestrians will be comfortable crossing.
Seven lanes with a center turning median would have been an even greater idea – but then the homeowners along Garland would have to look both ways before opening their front doors.
The tree-lined median may force a lot of people to drive out of their ways and make u-turns in order to enter/exit their streets or driveways. All those homes on the west side of Garland should just give up now and sell to developers, because that avenue will be lined with apartments and businesses twenty years from now anyways.
ps, it is a travesty that they didn’t bury the utilities during all of this mess. Instead they cut down a ton of mature trees in order to make room for the road and the relocated poles, and they have ensure that the remaining mature trees will be excessively pruned by overzealous utility companies for years to come, until they are either dead or unrecognizable frankenstein stumps.
So let’s hear everyone’s suggestions on what they think the City should do with the street. Should it have been left as is with no pedestrian or bicycle facilities? They are putting in sidewalks, bicycle lanes and medians with trees. Are you telling me that those facilities will go unused? I’ve dealt with AHTD and if it were up to them, Garland would be a giant, 5-lane highway with no regard to pedestrian or bicycle traffic. From what I have read, it seems that the Mayor and the City fought hard to put in a road that made Garlad accessible to everyone, regardless of how those citizens choose to travel.
Yes, burying all utilities is ideal but the taxpayer cost is heavy. Would you rather have other improvements around the City or underground utilities on this one street? Burying utilities is not cheap and as a taxpayer, I would personally like to see alternative transportation connectivity above underground utilities on Garland. City funds are finite. If you have a problem with how your tax dollars are being spent, perhaps you should make an appearance at the next city council meeting, I assure you that Fayetteville Flyer will keep you informed of when and where these meetings take place.
I love this project and think the results will be very attractive and a big improvement. I also think that utility lines are hideous, and the most cost-effective time to bury them along this stretch was when they had the water lines all torn up and relocated. Is that so crazy? This avenue will look nice but the greenway will be framed on both sides by utility lines and trees that are sheared off to accommodate them.
Its not crazy. Swepco proved their stance when they piecemeal upgraded the main lines through town in a manner that made it nearly impossible for the city to protest.
Some folks would complain if they were hung with a new rope.
I hope they build lots of apartments. Lots and lots and lots of apartments with towering spirals of trails over impossible gridlock of traffic. Fartmentviile.
I wish they would cleanup some of the trashy houses and apartments.
After the ice storm of 2009 garland road fell apart with their hanging trees and branches near the road and all of the meth lab looking houses leaving their trash by the road making it very dangerous the last 4 years.
“… five-foot bike lanes on each side of the road.”
Question: Are these lanes separated by concrete curbs, a grassy median etc. or just painted stripes? If the former, is it possible that to save money late in the game they would stripe bike lanes instead of the more expensive separate paths.
Here is what I mean:
“More protected lanes for bicyclists pop up in cities: Recent studies show that protected bike lanes can benefit a city economically.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/16/cities-add-protected-bike-lanes/1839613/