Traffic flows along the Fulbright Expressway by the construction site of the College Avenue flyover bridge Friday afternoon.
Photos by Todd Gill, Flyer staff
Drivers in north Fayetteville can expect nighttime lane closures this week while crews work on the next phase of the College Avenue flyover project.
One southbound lane on College Avenue and one westbound lane on the Fulbright Expressway will close from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday for the installation of steel bridge beams to continue over the expressway.
College Avenue flyover bridge construction.
Todd Gill
The closures will begin on College Avenue at Joyce Boulevard and will continue through the work area.
In addition, while the beams are being swung into place and secured, the Fulbright Expressway will be fully closed for 15-minute intervals at night. Motorists looking to avoid delays are encouraged to use alternate routes during the overnight periods.
Temporary traffic control devices, including electronic message boards and flagging staff, will be in place to direct traffic.
Similar lane restrictions and closures will follow this phase of work on southbound College Avenue next week, and then on eastbound/northbound Fulbright Expressway the week of Sept. 9.
College Avenue flyover bridge
The College Avenue flyover bridge is one of three projects in the Fayetteville Expressway Economic Development Corridor plan, which also includes a completed roundabout at Futrall Drive and Northhills Boulevard, and an extension and widening of Van Asche Drive between Gregg and Garland avenues.
The flyover will provide an alternative for northbound College Avenue drivers who normally make a U-turn at Joyce Boulevard to access the Fulbright Expressway. Once complete, drivers may instead take a left lane bridge just north of Millsap Road that extends over southbound College Avenue traffic to head west on the Fulbright Expressway or exit onto Mall Avenue between Olive Garden and Logan’s Roadhouse.
The estimated $7.5 million flyover project is 80 percent funded by a 2006 federal earmark appropriation. The city’s portion will be paid from the Transportation Bond Fund. Emery Sapp and Sons, Inc. is handling construction of the bridge and roadway improvements, Jacobs Engineering, Inc. is providing construction management and inspection services, and SourceGas, Inc. relocated a gas main.
