PROJECT

Mercy Way Corridor Improvements

Our team provided traffic engineering, design and environmental services to improve safety, flood control and aesthetics in the Mercy Way corridor from U.S. Highway 71 to Dartmoor Road in Bella Vista, Arkansas.

This project addressed multimodal transportation priorities while improving public safety along a heavily used road system. It included widening 0.3 miles of roadway and the 360-foot-long, five-span bridge over Little Sugar Creek from two to four lanes, construction of curb and gutter, storm sewer and sidewalks, and development of a shared-use bicycle-pedestrian side path to improve safe access from U.S. 71 — a primary thoroughfare — to an emergency medical clinic, elementary school and public park. As planning continued, the project also incorporated a connection to the widely used Razorback Greenway trail network.

Our services included environmental documentation, traffic studies, surveys, geotechnical studies, hydraulic studies, roadway and bridge plans, right-of-way plans, agency coordination, and public involvement services necessary to prepare a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document.

As the project team accounted for the physical requirements of the widening, it also explored ways to improve safety and traffic operations at two intersections bounding the project and to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the highly visible corridor and gateway into Bella Vista.

Client

City of Bella Vista

Location

Bella Vista, Arkansas

Region

Southeast

Services

Streets

Bridges

Traffic Engineering

Ecological Studies & Protected Species

Industry

Transportation

Funding Factors

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission was part of the funding for the project, supplying federal aid through the Surface Transportation Blog Grant Program (STBGP); this was the first such project undertaken by the city, so our team guided through the environmental, design and right-of-way acquisition phases. Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) reviewed and approved all work and contracts that conform to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements.

A combination of city and private funds enabled the development of a trail to connect the shared-use side path with the Razorback Greenway trail, which terminated south of the project and ran along Sugar Creek.

Traffic & Safety Studies

A previous ARDOT study indicated that an unusually high number of crashes occurred at the U.S. 71 and Mercy Way intersection. While accounting for the geometric requirements of the widening, the team also redesigned the intersections to improve safety and traffic operations.

Another focus was improving the aesthetic appeal of this highly visible corridor and gateway into Bella Vista. The bridge was also used to cross Little Sugar Creek, the northernmost extension of the Razorback Regional Greenway.

The maintenance of traffic (MOT) plans and staged bridge construction were designed to maintain the roadway’s capacity during construction to minimize disruption for the 8,700 vehicles that travel the roadway each day, mostly during the morning peak.

Environmental Actions

Our biologists conducted a habitat assessment to evaluate potentially suitable summer habitats for the gray bat, Indiana bat and the northern long-eared bat. Options included existing culverts and the existing bridge. The assessment followed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) guidance.

The project area was determined to lack suitable roosting habitat but may contain foraging habitat, especially along Little Sugar Creek. Coordination with USFWS resulted in a finding that it may affect and is not likely to adversely affect the three species.

The project did not occur within 0.25 mile of a known hibernaculum or within 150 feet of a known occupied maternity roost, which exempted the project from incidental take rules for the northern long-eared bat. A provision was included in the contract documents to specify the timing for tree clearing.

NEPA clearance was secured under a Categorical Exclusion by avoiding any flood plain impacts. This addressed USFWS concerns about threatened and endangered species, including bats and aquatic life. An ARDOT Bridge Information Form was also completed.

Scope of Work

Roadway design

Bridge design

Traffic design

Flood plain modeling

Right-of-way plans

Environmental clearances

Utility coordination

Surveys

Geotechnical investigations

Public involvement