A new video posted last week by city officials offers an updated view of the progress on the first phase of the Rupple Road Improvement Project in southwest Fayetteville.
Aerial footage was released in February which showed dirt paths leading through the fields from Owl Creek School towards Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The new video shows a more precise view of the layout, including some constructed curbs and a better look at the roundabouts included in the project.
The 1.5-mile southern extension of Rupple Road will provide west Fayetteville motorists with an easier route to Walmart, Lowe’s and the other businesses on the west side of Interstate 49.
Plans include a landscaped median with roundabouts at three intersections and a 5-foot sidewalk on the east side of the road. A planned 12-foot trail will eventually connect Fayetteville’s trail system to the Kessler Mountain area that includes over eight miles of hiking and mountain biking paths near the city’s 200-acre regional park.
Officials expect the project will drive economic development in southwest Fayetteville as the fields and pastures that separate MLK Boulevard and Wedington Drive give way to commercial and residential developments.
The existing roadway on Rupple from Persimmon Street to Wedington Drive will also be widened to four lanes, along with a short stretch on the north side of Wedington to Congressional Street.
The $7.3 million project is being funded using transportation bonds approved by voters in 2006.
