The Arkansas Department of Transportation recently broke ground on an improved interchange at Interstate 57 and Arkansas 5 in Cabot. The project is expected to be complete by mid-2028.
“North of the interstate is carrying 18,000 cars per day right now,18,000,” Jared Wiley, director of ARDOT, said at the groundbreaking. “South of the interstate, 21,000 cars per day, so those numbers alone tell you guys that improvements are needed. They’re needed badly, and this interchange is going to address some of those things.”
The new design will employ a single-point urban interchange, a type of highway interchange designed to move large volumes of traffic efficiently through a single traffic signal. The SPUI will reduce points of conflict and improve traffic flow at the interchange, which currently has multiple stoplights for drivers to navigate.
“Today, we’re officially moving from planning to action,” Cabot Mayor Ken Kincade said. “This new SPUI overpass is more than just concrete, steel and asphalt. It represents a generational — let me say that again — a generational investment in our region’s safety and infrastructure. Once completed, this project will reduce congestion, improve safety and boost our economy.”
Current congestion
Conway-based Weaver-Bailey Contractors was awarded the $53.9 million contract. The project is one of the final pieces of widening Interstate 57 from North Little Rock to Cabot, part of the work that will complete I-57 to the Missouri state line.
“This project will make travel safer, smoother and more efficient for the people who drive this corridor every single day,” said Brian Evans, speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives. “Highways and corridors are much more than just traffic because in Arkansas, roads connect people to opportunity.”
Images provided by ARDOT | Feature Photo: Planned improvement north of interstate
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