CONWAY, Ark. — With the recent winter weather creating potholes and rain flooding parts of Arkansas, road safety is top of mind, especially for those with little ones in the back seat.
Conway has been working on changing a dangerous intersection for years, and now the city council has approved another safety measure to give drivers a sense of peace.
TJ Wood, a Conway resident, often uses Lower Ridge Road to turn onto Skyline Drive since his kids play at the Don Owens Sports Complex.
"Most of the time, I actually turn right to go a slightly longer way just to avoid going left," Wood said.
City of Conway spokesman Bobby Kelly said the intersection has been known to have bad wrecks and some fatalities.
Around 32,000 cars travel along Skyline Drive every day, according to the City of Conway. When cars turn left off Lower Ridge Road, they are crossing four lanes of traffic, which is why the city council passed the safety measure.
"I think it will bring a lot of improvement," Wood said. "Being that it's Conway, I'm surprised it's not a roundabout."
Well, the city thought about it.
"We love roundabouts up in here," Kelly said. "We've got 35. We've got one under construction right now. We are going to put roundabouts in, but for this corridor, it didn't work. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution."
The plans show Lower Ridge Road extending behind Julie's Sweet Shoppe & Bakery to allow drivers access to the light at Conway Towne Center.
Bids for the project are expected to go out in the spring, and the city hopes to have the new road built by the end of 2024.