$500M Highway 112 Expansion Begins in Northwest Arkansas

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Ground was broken in November on a much-needed but somewhat unheralded Highway 112 infrastructure project in northwest Arkansas.

It’s a big undertaking, with a price tag of more than $500 million. Just the first phase of the eight-phase, 17.5-mile project will cost more than $43 million.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack showed up for the groundbreaking.

“Highway 112 is critical to travel in northwest Arkansas — one of the fastest-growing regions in the country,” Womack wrote in a social media post. “To support the growth we’ve already made — and to prepare for the growth still ahead — these infrastructure improvements are essential.”

Everyone knows of Interstate 49, the main artery that not only connects the four main population centers of the area but also acts as a divider between the western and eastern portions of the region. The interstate has huge daily traffic numbers, including 110,000 vehicles at the border of Benton and Washington counties, smack dab in the middle of northwest Arkansas.

It’s no secret that the region, and the interstate, really needs another artery outlet (or three) to relieve some of the traffic congestion and give commuters more travel route options.

Enter Highway 112. The highway isn’t a secret either — it gets about 12,000 vehicles a day — but it is a two-lane route that twists and weaves from the northwest Fayetteville to Bentonville.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and other government and public officials in the area have worked to scrape together funds to expand and modernize Highway 112 so it can handle more traffic.

In January, ARDOT received a $25 million federal grant through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) program in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. The money will be about half of the costs for the first phase of the expansion.

And what an expansion it looks to be. Highway 112 will have four lanes for 18 miles, along with 27 roundabouts, that lovely traffic-control trend that has reached our state, as well as a raised median and a pedestrian tunnel.

A four-lane Highway 112 is expected to be able to handle more than 30,000 vehicles daily, providing real relief for the interstate load.

“The Highway 112 Widening Project represents ARDOT’s commitment to improving safety and connectivity for all who use this corridor,” ARDOT Director Jared D. Wiley said. “The inclusion of roundabouts will enhance traffic flow and reduce congestion at key intersections. The new shared-use tunnel will provide a safe, inclusive crossing for cyclists and pedestrians.”

Tim Conklin, the executive director of the Regional Planning Commission, said the 112 expansion is much needed.

“It’s really the only north-south arterial that we have, west of I-49, connecting all these cities,” he said. “It currently is experiencing a lot of freight and congestion and really doesn’t work for people trying to access our trail systems or be able to walk. This will improve that entire route, all the way from Fayetteville, where Sam’s Club is, to the Bentonville Community Center.”

Work on the first phase is set to begin in January and is expected to take 18 months or so. ARDOT is moving forward with the organizational, bureaucratic and planning parts of the other seven phases so they can be completed more rapidly.

“With reoccurring congestion, people trying to go north or south in the region have another way to do that,” Conklin said. “As the region grows, we need to find other roadway and highway networks to complete our grid, so you’re not always relying on just a handful of north-south corridors.”