Fayetteville opens Zion Road from Vantage to Old Missouri

Zion Road east of Vantage Drive (Fayetteville Flyer photo/Todd Gill)

City crews on Friday opened Zion Road from Vantage Drive to Old Missouri Road to all traffic.

Portions of the road have been closed since May 2021 when work first began on an overhaul project of Zion between Vantage and Crossover Road (Highway 265).

The news of the opening was posted to the city’s social media channels at 3 p.m. Friday. Crews were still working in the area as of 4 p.m. Friday and some construction vehicles remained parked along Zion after the barricades had been moved.

Zion remains closed between Crossover and Old Missouri.

Gravel in some areas

Drivers should know that a section of Zion between Cape Dutch Avenue and Old Missouri will remain unpaved until early August. Portions of the southbound lane on Old Missouri between Zion and Joyce Boulevard are also currently unpaved.

Note: We received a comment on July 5 that vehicles were having difficulty moving through the area. We reached out to city staff to confirm that the road was still open after the three-day weekend, and received the following statement:

“The gravel portion from Cape Dutch through the roundabout to Old Missouri is open to traffic. They are still forming and pouring curb in the roundabout so there may be some delays but traffic is allowed to proceed through.”

The overall project

The improvements are designed to create an improved east-west connection between College Avenue and Crossover Road. The work includes widening of Zion to make room for a center turn lane, a six-foot sidewalk and a 10-foot bike trail. Also, a mini roundabout is being constructed at the intersection of Zion and Old Missouri Road.

The project is part of the transportation bond program that voters approved in 2019. The work had been on the back burner since the previous voter-approved bond in 2006, which came to a halt after improvements were completed between College Avenue and Vantage Drive and money was reallocated to fund a series of other higher priority transportation projects around town when bid prices were reduced due to the recession.

The final phase of the project includes completion of improvements between Crossover and Old Missouri. Officials have said the project is set to be finished by the end of the year.

(City of Fayetteville)