A new bridge will soon undergo construction at Tanyard Creek on Highway 340.
A detour road is under construction now, and construction on the new bridge will begin as soon as the detour road is finished, according to David Bushey, resident engineer with the Arkansas Department of Transportation. He said the detour road will likely open in early September, weather permitting. The bridge will have two lanes for motorists and 6-foot, 6-inch sidewalks on both sides, he said.
Plans are also in the works for a new bridge at the nearby Little Sugar Creek, also on Highway 340.
Bushey said, "Work will take place in several construction stages in order to maintain two traffic lanes across that waterway during the construction phases. This new bridge will have two lanes for traffic plus two additional lanes for turning movements."
He added, "This bridge will also have a 12-fooot side path separated by a wall from traffic across the north side, and it will have a regular 6-foot 6-inch sidewalk beyond the curb across the south side of the bridge."
Cassi Lapp, communications director for the city of Bella Vista, said the city received a grant from the Walton Family Foundation for about $640,000 that is being used to pay for the pedestrican and cycling paths on the Little Sugar Creek Bridge. She said the city paid the funds to ARDoT in November.