Bentonville City Council to consider millions in road project contracts

Get ready for a lot of construction — Bentonville City Council will consider 20 contracts for road and drainage projects at tonight's regular meeting.

Why it matters: Road projects that residents overwhelmingly voted for in April are being put into motion.

The top five most expensive projects account for $7.5 million, more than half the total ($13.6 million) of the contracts up for consideration. They include:

1. Rainbow Curve (intersection of Walton Boulevard and Highway 12) improvements for $1.8 million — installing a flyover bridge to remove westbound, left-turning traffic.
2. East Battlefield Boulevard improvements for $1.4 million — converting approximately three-quarters of a mile on East Battlefield Boulevard between East Central Avenue and Water Tower Road from two lanes to three lanes and making the road more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly.
3. Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and Southwest I Street intersection for $1.2 million — construction of dual left-turn lanes, dedicated right-turn bays and a six-lane cross section along Highway 12/SW Regional Airport Boulevard, beginning west of the intersection with SW I Street and continuing east to the intersection with Walton Boulevard.
4. Tiger Boulevard overpass for $1.6 million — extending Tiger Boulevard more than half a mile from McCollum Drive over Interstate 49 to connect to Northeast Grammercy Road.
5. Southwest 28th Street for $1.5 million — widening the street and adding a raised center median along 1.28 miles between Southwest Featherston Road and Southwest I Street while making it more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly.

The other projects include work at:

• Southwest 10th and F Streets — $955,033
• Opal Road improvements — $844,961
• Southwest Gator Boulevard — $690,000
• Moberly Lane — $630,000
• Walton Boulevard and Central Avenue intersection — $568,137
• Southeast 10th and C Streets — $443,315
• Northwest Tiger Boulevard and G Street — $308,602

• Greenhouse Road regional detention drainage project — $297,753
• Southwest 14th Street and Been Road — $284,639
• Northwest 2nd and G Streets — $246,433
• Northwest 4th and D Streets — $228,559
• Southwest 2nd and O Streets — $222,949
• Northwest Trails End and C Street — $171,690
• North 8th and Main Streets — $155,500
• Southwest 7th Street and C Lateral — $85,500

Go deeper: Read more about individual projects here, and attend the meeting at 6pm tonight at City Hall or online here.