It seems that road construction in northwest Arkansas will never cease as the region tries to keep up with an ever-growing population.
There is now more money devoted to the work after a federal spending bill became law. More than $105 million in federal dollars will be directed to projects in northwest Arkansas.
A major reconstruction project is underway in Fayetteville at the intersection of Interstate 49 and MLK Jr. Boulevard, which is also Highway 62. And the state had groundbreaking ceremonies for a major expansion of Highway 112 in December.
Then there’s the white whale of Arkansas highway construction projects: completing I-49 from Fort Smith to Texarkana, which includes a massive bridge over the Arkansas River outside of Fort Smith. The bridge-building portion of that project had a groundbreaking in August.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican who represents the state’s 3rd District, recently secured more funding for another northwest Arkansas highway project on Highway 412. In early February, President Donald Trump signed the Transportation, Housing & Urban Development minibus spending bill for 2026, which backs several projects supported by Arkansas legislators.
Thanks to Womack’s lobbying, $59 million will fund continued work on what is known as the Springdale Northern Bypass for Highway 412 in northern Washington County and southern Benton County. The completed bypass will be 21 miles of four-lane road connecting 412 west of Springdale with 412 east of Springdale by skirting north of the city.
The total cost for the entire project will be in nearly $1 billion, but every $59 million helps. The bypass has been in the works since the Arkansas Department of Transportation and local officials first considered it in 1996. It obviously takes a while to get projects planned, designed, paid for and built.
As anyone who drives in northwest Arkansas can attest, north-south traffic can be problematic, partially because so few east-west outlets exists.
Highway 412 is a major route from Tulsa through Siloam Springs, but when it reaches Springdale, it turns into Sunset Avenue. After going into the heart of Springdale, it abruptly ends at Thompson Avenue/Highway 71 Business, the main north-south corridor through Springdale.
Highway 412 picks up back after a detour east of the city before continuing through the mid-north portion of the state.
Traversing from Tontitown to the interstate to Springdale can be a nightmare in high traffic. The bypass would let trucks and other traffic skip around Tontitown and Springdale and reconnect with 412 by Beaver Lake, removed from the urban traffic grind.
The bypass project has four phases, one already completed at a cost of $105.3 million. That 5-mile stretch connected I-49 north of Springdale with Highway 112 north of Tontitown.
Now under construction is a 7-mile stretch to connect that spur to Highway 412 west of Tontitown. The price tag for that phase is north of $180 million.
The last two phases will extend the bypass another 9 miles from the interstate interchange to 412 near the lake.
Womack also sought and received extra funding for other projects. He got $3 million for the I-49 bridge segment, and Sen. John Boozman, also an Arkansas Republican, successfully lobbied for $15.8 million for the same project.
Womack and Boozman also got $3 million for Highway 112 improvements.
“I’m proud to deliver this critical funding, which will further equip ARDOT with the resources needed to accelerate key projects like the Springdale Northern Bypass, Highway 112, and Interstate 49,” Womack said. “These improvements will not only address current congestion challenges, but they will also support our region’s long-term economic growth.”
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