BENTON, Ark. — It comes after years of construction on Interstate 30 near Benton. Over the last year, we saw hundreds of dollars in damages to cars in the construction zone, including dozens of semis with blown-out tires.
It got so bad that last month, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) recommended the state put the contractors in default.
However, this week, ARDOT Communications Director Dave Parker said the contractors will keep the job.
"We don't want to take that default possibility away," Parker said. "But we can defer it for later, based on the fact that Johnson Brothers Corporation, in recent months has really shown much improvement."
Parker said that improvement means more workers, creating changes that drivers may have already noticed.
"About 96% of it is now on new concrete and pavement," Parker said. "They were able to meet that deadline and complete the work on time."
Parker said if ARDOT starts to see issues with construction moving forward, they still have the option to default on the company even if it's tabled right now.
But those metal plates drivers have complained about are under a new contractor, and ARDOT said they should all be gone soon.
"Based on how things went with the past, yes, we'll be watching things closer," Parker said. "We'll continue to meet with them on a very regular basis, and we hope that things continue at the pace and we can get to the endpoint."
And to those who say the state should just hire someone new, Parker said this solution is the fastest.
"If we had moved into default, they would have had to assign a new contractor," Parker said. "That takes time. Then, that new contractor would have had to have had a fair amount of time to get things going."
Any driver that gets damage to their car in that construction zone, can call Johnson Brothers construction to file a claim.
Additionally, a phone number connected to a company that works with Johnson Brothers is 813-685-5101, and their address, as shown on Google Maps, is 15522 I-30 Benton, AR 72019.
ARDOT said the estimated time of completion is December 2024.