LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Road construction can definitely test our patience at times and people living on or near Rodney Parham in West Little Rock are experiencing that firsthand.
The project is taking longer than expected but Little Rock Public Works said crews are working as fast as they can.
"It is impacting this area. It's been a long time coming," Pleasant Valley resident David Martinous said.
You can hear the construction on Rodney Parham Road from David Martinous' driveway in Pleasant Valley.
He said he's ready for the day it's all finished.
"Unfortunately, a lot of times we folks are impatient. But I just think it's going to be nice in the end. That's what we're excited about," Martinous said.
Andrew Adkins, just a few doors over, agrees.
"I'm looking for the end result," Adkins said.
He's had to adjust his usual route because Monday, the southbound lane closed and will be closed for the next three and a half weeks.
"There's a little bit of traffic flow that has changed some. So we take different paths and kind of avoid Rodney Parham for the time being," Adkins said.
Even though it's taking longer than expected to widen the road and add bike lanes and sidewalks, he thinks it needs to happen.
"We want to see the sidewalks and the safety that comes with sidewalks and people not walking along the skirt of the road," he said.
As far as the time frame goes for the project, Little Rock Public Works Director Jon Honeywell said crews experienced unexpected setbacks along the way.
"There have continued to be conflicts with utilities and their position in the ground or early on poles that were in conflict with what the road was going to be," Jon Honeywell said.
Honeywell said the project probably would have been done by now if it weren't for utilities getting in the way multiple times. Now, they're hoping to be done around the end of summer 2024.
"We understand there's frustration in the neighborhood and the folks that traveled through that area all the time. We're frustrated as well with the progress we've been able to make, but we're doing everything that we can to get it done as quickly as possible," Honeywell said.
The southbound lane will be closed for about 3 and a half more weeks depending on the weather.
You can find more information about the current detours here.