Dressing up Fayetteville's College Avenue

The city of Fayetteville is looking to upgrade part of College Avenue, giving it more curb and appeal.

What's happening: Local officials showed the public plans for more trees and sidewalks — and maybe medians, too — for the roughly half-mile stretch between North and Sycamore streets, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

• The city is taking comments from the public through Aug. 23.

Why it matters: An average of 28,000 vehicles travel through the area every day, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. That's more than 28% of the city's population, so traffic flow and speed control are important to keep motorists and pedestrians safe.

Yes, and: Most of College Avenue, which is also part of U.S. 71 Business, north of Lafayette Street isn't attractive and doesn't provide protected areas for pedestrians or cyclists.

Details: This project is part of the city's larger U.S. 71B corridor plan, which spans 15th Street to Lake Fayetteville.

• The necessary rights of way for the work generally would not change, although car travel lanes would shrink by a foot or two depending on the final design.
• Renderings show an 80-foot cross section of College Avenue with sidewalks and green space on its east and west sides, maintaining its four traffic lanes.
• Two concepts under consideration include a raised median or a middle turn lane.

• Of note: Medians and narrower lanes tend to slow traffic down.

Construction on this section of road is estimated to cost $6.2 million. The city has $1.5 million in federal aid available for the project, with another $1.8 million pending, along with money from a 2019 transportation bond.

Flashback: Medians on College Avenue were added between Dickson and Lafayette streets in the early 2000s, enhancing the aesthetics in the area and generally slowing traffic.

• A median placed on Dickson Street west of College Avenue around the same time was later removed due to accidents and driver complaints.