CABOT, Ark.(KTHV) - The traffic woes may soon be over for Cabot residents. Relief is coming to one of central Arkansas' biggest traffic headaches.
Cabot neighbors will soon have a way to loop around the city and more lanes for a faster commute to Little Rock. Construction will begin in February on a north terminal interchange between Cabot and Austin. Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert said this will be a big project with big results.
"The ultimate goal is to get traffic off the Main Street traffic tunnel in Cabot, Arkansas," said Cypert.
A busy dual railroad splits the city in half from east to west, causing traffic problems during rush hour. Mayor Cypert said another highway project will add two lanes to Highway 67/167 between Jacksonville and Cabot.
"[It'll] certainly improve the commuter work flow and commuter shopping to Little Rock," he said.
Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert said that the North Cabot Interchange is a key part of the planned loop around the city. He said this will allow traffic from north Lonoke County to have direct access to Highway 67.
"Where people go to where they want to go in and go in from any direction," Cypert said. "It's projected to significantly reduce the traffic work load on Main Street."
This addition to the city hopes to alleviate the pressure the city's central roadways suffer from.
"When that gets done, we project that it will relieve somewhere around 35 to 40 percent of the traffic workload on Main Street," he said.
It's an appealing statistic that Cypert hopes draws more residents to the city. For Cypert and the city of Cabot, a better roadway system could lead to an increase in population.
Cypert asserted that people "don't want traffic jams, they don't want backlogs of traffic."
The North Cabot Interchange is to be completed by the end of 2018.