Traffic passes through the five-way intersection of Archibald Yell and South College Avenue/Rock Street on Thursday, June 30, 2022. (Flyer photo/Todd Gill)

Construction work is ready to begin on a series of improvements to Archibald Yell Boulevard, just south of downtown Fayetteville.

Officials said Rock Street and South College Avenue are scheduled to be closed at their points of intersection with Archibald Yell for about six months beginning Tuesday, July 5.

The multi-phase project includes a redesign of the road and features a complete overhaul of the five-way intersection of Archibald Yell and South College Avenue/Rock Street.

Southbound traffic will have a dedicated left-turn lane for drivers headed east onto Rock Street. A second left-turn lane is included farther south for traffic turning onto South College Avenue. The current intersection does not include any dedicated turn lanes.

A landscape island will separate the two left-turn options to provide some pedestrian refuge for people crossing Archibald Yell.

Rock Street intersection plan (Source: City of Fayetteville)

As part of the work, Archibald Yell will be reduced from four lanes to three lanes, and will include a traffic signal and pedestrian crossing at South Street. Design drawings show a striped buffer on the north side of the road that separates vehicles from people who are walking or riding bikes.

The entire project could take between eight and nine months to complete, and will requires some lane closures as work continues. For now, all lanes are set to remain open on Archibald Yell.

Intersection closures and detours (Source: City of Fayetteville)

The City Council last month approved a $2.99 million contract with Benchmark Construction of NWA, Inc. for the project. The work is being funded from the transportation bond issue that voters approved in 2019, along with about $300,000 from the city’s water and sewer fund.