Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — May 9, 2025 — Jonesboro residents met Thursday night to learn more about plans to widen a portion of a highway and give their thoughts.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) held its second public involvement meeting at Westside High School for a proposal to widen Highway 91 west of County Road 132 to West Parker Road from two lanes to three. This would be done to incorporate a two-way left turn lane, sidewalks, a shared-use path, and a roundabout at Highway 349.
Several residents attended the meeting, asking ARDOT staff members questions about the project and how it would impact them. They were also given a sheet to fill out with several questions on how they felt about the project, and they could either drop it off in a marked box or mail it.
One of the most discussed aspects of the project at Thursday’s meeting was the addition of the roundabout at Highway 349. ARDOT public information officer Dave Parker said even though they’re not new to Arkansas, people will always have questions about how they operate.
“’How effective are they? Do they really move traffic quicker?’ In general, any time you have change, people will have questions, they’re curious, and I’m the same way, and I welcome that,” Parker said.
District engineer Shane Wood said the overall response at Thursday’s meeting was good and most people were positive about the project. However, Wood did say there were some concerns about traffic backup at the school.
Following the meeting, Parker said ARDOT will create a second environmental assessment study for approval and ask for a Finding of No Significant Impact, which signifies that the potential environmental effects from a proposed action will have no significant impact on humans.
Parker said if things go according to plan, ARDOT would put out a bid for a contractor for the project and attempt to get it started by June 2027, with it expected to be completed by summer 2029.
Parker added that the goal of meetings like these is to emphasize that people have the opportunity to voice their opinions before a project is put into motion.
“I stress to people that your comment, your written question or concern, whatever you leave behind or voice at the meeting itself, we do take note of that, and it can lead to improvement,” Parker said.
In November 2023, ARDOT held its first public meeting on the proposal, but Parker said several changes were made as a result of the feedback.
Some of the changes included “realigning the Highway 91 proposed centerline from County Road 117 to the eastern terminus near I-555” and “extending the western project limits to include the area south of County Road 132,” according to meeting materials from ARDOT.
“We take those comments, as we do in any meeting, and we include those in the environmental assessment study, and if the comments and suggestions are such that we agree with them or they lead to somewhat significant changes in the design, then that warrants another meeting,” Parker said.
If you missed Thursday’s meeting, you can view the meeting materials and make comments about the project by clicking here. ARDOT will accept comments until May 22.