The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) has completed the 30 Crossing Project, marking the end of a major construction effort that began in 2019.
Interstate 30 is the backbone of the central Arkansas regional freeway network. In addition to connecting several interstates and freeways, it supports regional travel and is one of the most traveled highways in Arkansas.
Since construction began, the project has seen major delays and contractor issues that have pushed the timeline of the project back.
The project includes improved interchanges at Interstates 30 and 40 and Interstates 30 and 630, widened and added lanes, ramp improvements, overpass improvements, and a new bridge over the Arkansas River.
Dave Parker, a spokesperson for the ARDOT, explained to ABC 7 News that a study indicated the necessity of the project due to the increasing number of vehicles using the roads.
"It was concluded that something had to be done in terms of widening. To have only six total lanes, three on each side, was not going to bode well for the future," Parker said.
Around 125,000 cars travel in the area of Interstates 630, 30, and 40 daily. Parker told ABC 7 News that by 2045, that number is expected to rise to about 145,000 cars a day.
Parker credited the project's success to the taxpayers, saying, "Without the Issue 1 money, without the support of the public letting this project go through it wouldn’t have happened. We knew it was going to be a heavy lift. A four to five-year project, the most expensive in the department's history, that is not an easy ask.”
Source: ABC 7 News, THV11.com
