В Спрингдейле торжественно завершили строительство обхода и новой дороги к аэропорту

SPRINGDALE — The Springdale Northern Bypass morphed into a parking lot Friday morning as state and local officials and community members gathered for a ceremony celebrating completion of two major projects at the same time. Those two projects were the second phase of the bypass and entirety of a new connector road to the Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The projects are aimed at making it easier to get to the airport and also reducing congestion at the U.S. 412 and Interstate 49 interchange in Springdale. The latter is the busiest interchange in Northwest Arkansas. Arkansas Highway Commission Chairman Philip Taldo said the two projects were his primary goals when he was appointed to the commission a decade ago. “We knew that something needed to change and that improvements needed to be made to keep up with the area’s growth,” Taldo said. But, Taldo also wanted to ensure the area kept its natural beauty and felt the same as it did when his grandmother came here four generations ago, he said. To that end, the airport access road has been designated a scenic byway. “I judge the success of Northwest Arkansas on how we keep it livable and as pristine as possible for our grandkids and our great-grandkids, despite the region’s monumental growth,” Taldo said. “The Springdale Bypass and XNA Connector Road provide residents and visitors alike with safe, reliable and efficient way to travel throughout our region and within our communities.” Tim Conklin, executive director at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, said that 30 years ago the two roads were just lines on a map. They were made possible through long-term planning and regional cooperation. “From completing I-49 just five years ago to McDonald County, Missouri, to opening Interstate 42 today, these projects show what can happen when a region commits to a long-term vision and works together to see it through,” Conklin said. Jerry Walton, chairman of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport Authority Board of Directors, said the access road provides a direct route to the airport and will make the connection between the airport and the region it serves stronger. “When XNA opened in 1998, regional leaders were already discussing the need,” Walton said. “For the first time, XNA will have a direct controlled-access connection to the regional highway system through the Springdale Bypass and Interstate 49. From XNA’s perspective, the importance of this road is simple, getting to the airport as simple and easy as possible.” The airport was created through regional cooperation and the connector road reflects that same spirit, he added. Jay Payne, deputy administrator at the Federal Highway Administration, said Friday’s event drew the largest crowd he had ever seen for a ribbon cutting. The administration has officially approved the designation of the bypass as Interstate 42, he added. “This designation will create economic growth and investment, enhanced freight mobility, better regional connectivity and new opportunities for working families,” he said. “This will transform the corridor into a premier interstate corridor and will position position your region as a major hub for logistics, supply chains and manufacturing.” Safer, faster roads will seamlessly connect towns and cities across state lines keeping communities linked and accessible, Payne said. “By making your region more competitive, I-42 will attract high-paying jobs and deliver a long-term economic boost for the great people of Arkansas,” Payne said. Jared Wiley, director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said the opening of the new section of the bypass will also save drivers a lot of time. “I expect our commuters who are driving through Tontitown each day, that now take the bypass from the west going east, they’re going to save over 10 minutes per day in traffic,” Wiley said. “That doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you look at that over a week, that’s one hour less sitting in traffic each week, two full days a year, that we save off that commuter time, and that’s a big deal for folks in this region.” The opening of the new road completes over half of the planned Springdale Northern Bypass, Wiley said. Wiley said the $400 million project was brought in nine months ahead of schedule by the contractors, Crossland Construction and Emery Sapp & Sons. Wiley also thanked the residents of Arkansas for making permanent in 2020 a half-cent sales tax that is dedicated to pay for highway projects. The Springdale Northern Bypass is also known as I-42/Arkansas 642. Part of the highway is also slated to be part of a future I-42 between I-49 and Interstate 35 in Noble County, Okla. Phase Two of the bypass includes a seven-mile, four-lane divided interstate corridor designed to improve mobility, reduce congestion and enhance freight movement throughout the region. The bypass extends from U.S. 412 north to Arkansas 112 and includes a tie-in to the newly completed Airport Connector Road. The next portion of the bypass project will run between Interstate 49 and Arkansas 265, just over three miles. It will include interchanges at I-49, U.S. 71-B and Arkansas 265. Construction is expected to begin in late 2027 with a price tag between $200 million and $250 million. The project has received $59 million in federal Community Project Funding for construction. The last phase will involve construction of seven miles of new road from Arkansas 265 back to existing U.S. 412 east of Springdale. It is estimated to cost $200 million to $300 million. It is progressing through project development and is now in the right-of-way acquisition phase. The phase was awarded a $24.5 million federal BUILD grant in 2025 for right-of-way acquisition. The Airport Connector Road is a four-mile, four-lane corridor that provides a direct link between the bypass and Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The project was awarded to Crossland Construction Co. for $127.7 million. The project features 11 bridges, an interchange at the project’s south end and a tie-in to Arkansas 264 at the project’s north end. The Airport Authority Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution in March requesting the Transportation Department name the connector in honor of Taldo. That decision will ultimately be up to the Highway Commission and will likely not happen until after Taldo leaves the Commission in January, according to Dave Parker, public information officer and head of the Communications Division for the Department of Transportation. FUTURE PLANS U.S. 412 is part of a congressionally designated High Priority Corridor running east and west across northern Arkansas. Further down the road, there’s a proposal to convert part of U.S. 412 in Arkansas and Oklahoma into an interstate highway, Interstate 42. Arkansas and Oklahoma transportation officials are working together to study about 210 miles of U.S. 412 between Interstate 35 in Noble County, Okla., and I-49 in Springdale. Connecting Northwest Arkansas and north-central Oklahoma with an interstate highway would encourage economic development along the corridor and expand opportunities for employment in the region, according to officials in both states. The current study is focused on complying with legislation passed by Congress to convert U.S. 412 to an interstate highway, addressing safety, improving mobility and enhancing system linkage by connecting rural and urban communities, national airports and inland ports and freight supply chains. The Oklahoma and Arkansas transportation departments are studying the project in coordination with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Federal Highway Administration. The idea of making U.S. 412 part of the interstate system surfaced in 2021 when the Indian Nations Council of Governments in Tulsa passed a resolution seeking support for the change from Oklahoma and Arkansas transportation and elected officials. Congress in November 2021 included the high-priority, future interstate designation in its infrastructure bill. U.S. 412 intersects with I-35 about 80 miles west of Tulsa. I-35 runs from Laredo, Texas, north through San Antonio, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kan., to Interstate 70 in Salina, Kan. It continues north to Duluth, Minn. U.S. 412 also directly serves the major inland ports of the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and Oakley’s Port 33 on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and provides access to Tulsa International and Northwest Arkansas National airports. Of the 20 miles in Arkansas, the only portion currently built to interstate standards is the completed sections of the U.S. 412 Springdale Northern Bypass — designated Arkansas 612 — between I-49 and existing U.S. 412 west of of Tontitown. Ron Wood can be reached by email at [email protected]. ———————————— Video online Scenes from the ribbon cutting You're one step away from the full story. Log in or create an account to continue reading. Support journalism that covers the topics that matter most to you. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.