Ribbon cutting opens first leg of the Bella Vista Bypass

HIWASSE -- There wasn't a cloud in the sky Tuesday, May 20, when a charter bus loaded with state and area officials rolled down the pavement of the first segment of the Bella Vista Bypass. The three mile segment, which bypasses downtown Hiwasse, was completed at a cost of $19.9 million. The two-lane highway was officially opened at 10:30 a.m.

The bus, which had exited Arkansas Highway 72, east of Hiwasse, traced the new highway to its exit on to Highway 72 west of Hiwasse near the Mt. Pleasant Church. It then returned to the site where a ribbon cutting ceremony was held.

Scott Bennett, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, cut the bright blue ribbon and distributed segments among the crowd of 35-40 persons attending.

Among those attending were Highway Commission member Dick Trammell of Rogers; State Senator Jim Hendren and State Representative Mary Lou Slinkard, both of Gravette; and Johnathan Barnett of Siloam Springs, a former member of the Highway Commission.

Unable to attend was U.S. Senator John Boozman who, at almost the same time as the ceremony, was undergoing emergency heart surgery at Mercy Hospital in Rogers. U.S. Representative Steve Womack joined the group later for a sign changing ceremony in Bentonville. There, the Highway 71/Interstate 540 signs were removed and replaced with the Interstate 49 designation. Sign changes will be completed in coming weeks south to Alma, where I-49 will intersect with I-40.

The bypass around Hiwasse is currently designated 549. Also, along its route, are signs identifying the three-mile segment as "Future I-49." The change to I-49 will occur when the entire route from Bentonville to the Missouri line is completed.

Initially a two-lane highway, it is designed to become a four-lane divided highway sometime in the future.

A second segment of the BV bypass is well underway north from Mt. Pleasant to Benton County road 34. That $13.7 million project is expected to be completed this year. A $52.7 contract to complete the segment from Bentonville to Hiwasse has been awarded and it is expected to be finished by spring, 2016.

The final 2.5 mile segment from BC 34 north to the Missouri line will begin when Missouri begins its final segment south to the Arkansas state line. At that time, Interstate I-49 will reach north from Alma up through Missouri. Eventually, it is expected to reach south to the Gulf and north to the Canadian border.