Notice to Media

Huntsville Bypass to Open Tuesday

LITTLE ROCK (8-2) – The U. S. Highway 412 bypass of Huntsville in Madison County will open to traffic on Tuesday, August 3, 1999, according to Arkansas Highway Commission member Jonathan Barnett of Siloam Springs.

A short opening ceremony will be held at 1:00 p.m. on the eastern end of the project where the new bypass intersects with existing Highway 412. State and local officials will join Commissioner Barnett at that time to cut a ribbon signifying the completion of the new highway.

Work on the 4.05-mile Huntsville Bypass began in late 1995. A total of three contracts were awarded to complete the construction at a cost of about $10 million.

Contractors will begin the transition process to put traffic on the new road Tuesday morning at the western end of the project. Finishing the asphalt connections at both ends of the project and re-striping the roadway will take most of the day. Motorists traveling in the area should be aware of the changing traffic conditions. The new roadway should be functioning normally by the end of the day Tuesday.

"The Huntsville bypass is yet another phase of our efforts to improve U. S. Highway 412 across northern Arkansas," Barnett said. "While we are only opening two lanes of the bypass at this time, I’m pleased that we had the vision to acquire the necessary right of way and plan for an additional two lanes in the future. By doing that, we’ve already made accommodations for anticipated future traffic growth, he added."

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