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Constant road closure sparks concern in North Little Rock

When it rains, Faulkner Lake Road is sure to flood and drivers traveling through there are wanting it fixed.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A common road closure in North Little Rock has drivers asking questions like, "When will the problem be fixed?"  

Faulkner Lake Road runs a long a swamp, almost level with it.

So when it rains hard, the road is sure to flood. It was no different on Tuesday.

"I get out and kind of get an idea what the impact is and how long we have before we start closing roads,” Leonard Montgomery said, director of emergency services in North Little Rock. "The area that we are talking about today is past I-440."

THV11 took a trip out to the flood-prone area with city officials.

After heavy rainfall Tuesday, Montgomery planned to make a decision whether to close the road or not, but when he got there, barricades had already been put in place.

"It doesn't take much water, before this thing is under water,” Montgomery said.

The consistent Faulkner Lake Road closure happens nearly every time it rains, and has people traveling through there wanting it fixed.

"It's been like this now for over 15 years and no one has taken it upon themselves to get it fixed,” a local truck driver said.

Truckers in the area have no other commute options on some days when getting from point A to point B when the road is closed.  

"Down there, that's a weight limit bridge, only 25,000 lbs can go over that thing, so we have got to keep going this way," the truck driver said.  

Several cars disregarded the road closure signage Tuesday.

Not only do road crews stress that it’s dangerous to cross the barricades, but it’s also adding more problems and damage to Faulkner Lake Road.

"Don't go around the barricades, take another route,” Montgomery said.

The city owns a portion of the road.

The street department confirmed engineers are working on a design to see just how much it would cost to fix the problem after all.

But for now, all the city can do is patch the areas damaged by water.

"The issue with the water here is there's no place for it to go once it gets on the road,” Montgomery said.

The Central Arkansas Velo cycling organization is hosting a big cycling race Sunday near the area.

They want cyclists to know they've already worked around the road closure. However, they need participants to check the group's Facebook page for detour routes so no one misses their race.

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