BRYANT, Arkansas — A Saline County road will soon be expanded, and the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is seeking public opinion.
12,000 cars drive Highway 5 every day, which is one of the reasons why ARDOT is looking to widen the road and ease the traffic.
The project would widen three miles of the highway from Reynolds Road to Alexander Road. It will have four lanes with a center turn lane included.
On Thursday, representatives from ARDOT held a meeting allowing people to provide their input on the plans.
More than a dozen people showed up and saw the project up close and personal.
"It's been really enjoyable to watch them find their land or look at the project, and they've given input," Bryant Interim Mayor Rhonda Sanders said. "They have said, 'Hey, there's a lot of water runoff over here,' and 'What about this?' Overall, they have been very open."
But there are a few years to go before the project gets started. A contractor won't be selected until 2026 as they finish other construction in the area.
"It's a ways off, and we hope that the I-30 project will be long finished by then," ARDOT representative Ellen Coulter said. "These will not run concurrently."
ARDOT will continue to take public input, and there's another meeting planned for next year.