The city of Conway is continuing its financial partnership with the Arkansas Department of Transportation to build a roundabout at Hogan Lane and Highway 64.
“It’s about ten or so years in the making,” Bobby Kelly, Conway city spokesman, said. “That intersection has been dangerous for quite some time.”
Kelly said the high amount of 18-wheelers and high speed of traffic has made the T-intersection particularly dangerous for commuters turning onto Highway 64 from Hogan Lane.
The state had originally considered using a traffic signal to lower accident risks, but changed its plans around 2017.
“After [Bart] Castleberry was first elected, he looked into that and not just requested the Arkansas Department of Transportation to take a look at putting a light there, but also consider skipping the whole traffic signal thing altogether,” Kelly said.
After ARDOT performed a warrant analysis, where locations, traffic and speeds are considered when planning how necessary a roundabout would be, the city of Conway put $2 million into its partnership with state transportation to construct the roundabout.
“Construction started mainly on the outside of the roadway several months ago and most of it has been earth work,” Kelly said. “If you’ve driven through there, it’s very clear.”
Kelly said the project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025.
“Barring any kind of weird, unforeseen circumstances, but most of that stuff was ironed out in the beginning,” Kelly said.
Kelly said part of the project’s long term planning involved extensive utility relocation.
“A lot of folks forget relocating things that are above ground and underground,” Kelly said. “Conway Corp has been out there working ahead of the [Conway] department of transportation. Same goes with AT&T.”
The city is optimistic that a roundabout would reduce the number of accidents that occur at the intersection, along with possibly relieving congestion at the I-40 exits within Conway.
Kelly said the roundabout at Hogan is a piece in Conway’s master street plan.
“I don’t want to nerd too much about our street master plan…but one these days Hogan is going to ultimately end up connected to I-40,” Kelly said. “I can’t tell you when, but that’s in the plan.”
While Conway is financially aiding the project, the Arkansas Department of Transportation has headed the engineering, planning and construction of the roundabout.
In 2018, ARDOT concurred with the city of Conway’s request for a roundabout to be constructed at Highway 64 and Hogan Lane.
While planning has been in the works for the past six years, engineering division head William Kirk said that no engineers have been to site for the actual planning of the roundabout.
Despite this, Kirk said that the transportation department was still confident that the roundabout would be completed by fall of 2025.
Kirk attributed the long preparation to landscaping of the rock formations, rezoning residential properties and determining traffic closures.
Kirk said the department will first begin roundabout construction with the central island before starting the entry and exit lanes.
Hogan Lane and Highway 64 is currently a T-intersection. There have not been any announcements about intersection closures in the coming months.
