Starting Tuesday, drivers in Siloam Springs should have an easier time driving in the downtown area. Mt. Olive Street, which has been closed for a street diet for the past two months, is on track to reopen at the end of the day on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The road diet called for Mt. Olive Street to slim down to 23 feet wide from 37 feet. The project is a part of the Siloam Springs Downtown Master Plan, and is intended to increase downtown walkability by expanding sidewalks and slowing vehicle traffic.
Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed before school started, but misfortune struck early, as a missed signature caused a two week delay before the first jackhammers and bulldozers arrived on the scene. From there, the project had to be pushed through a few more setbacks, according to City Engineer, Justin Bland.
Bland said that the problem was that since Mt. Olive Street is so old, when parts were being dug up, the aging storm drains underneath crumbled.
Although Mt. Olive will open up to through traffic again starting late Tuesday, the work is far from being done. Work crews will still be working on the road diet project, though it will be behind the curbs. Landscaping will also take a little longer. Bland said city crews will wait until the end of September to plant bushes that are native to the area, to avoid exposing them to the summer heat until they are more mature.
The street diet was actually scheduled for 2017, but City Administrator Phillip Patterson said city staff needed to move the project up because the State of Arkansas is going to overlay Mt. Olive Street in September and the street diet needed to happen first.
According to a press release from the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, the state approved a bid for the Mt. Olive overlay on Thursday. AHTD officials said the project will last two weeks and will not result in closure of the street, though one lane will be closed for portions of the project, Bland said.
The overlay will go from the intersection of Mt. Olive and Kenwood to Tahlequah Street. The project is scheduled for the end of September.
The overlay is meant to help preserve Mt. Olive and to keep it from wearing down and cracking. As roads age, cracks form and water gets in, which leads to breakdowns. Overlaying the road will prolong its life by removing the cracks, Bland said.
General News on 08/28/2016