Westbound lanes on Interstate 30 between North Little Rock and Little Rock will be closed from Friday evening until early Monday, Oct. 7, meaning drivers will need to take alternate routes to cross the Arkansas River into the capital city.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation announced the closure dates and posted a video of the full detour earlier today. Westbound drivers will take the Broadway Street exit in North Little Rock, take a new on-ramp and travel across the new bridge before taking a new exit into downtown Little Rock.
Don’t get used to the detour, though. A new traffic route will be in place Monday and drivers can expect more closures on I-30 through early November as road crews open the bridge.
The closures are part of the transportation department’s multi-phase plan to open the new I-30 westbound Arkansas River Bridge, which it first announced last week.
BIG 30 CROSSING MILESTONE:
‼ Interstate 30 Westbound Arkansas River Bridge to Open in Three Phases ‼See the news release and map for additional details.
Additional releases will be sent out regarding each specific phase of the opening as they draw nearer. pic.twitter.com/PKS0wTRezN
— Arkansas Department of Transportation (@myARDOT) September 24, 2024
The new bridge is part of the 30 Crossing Project, a plan to widen I-30 and construct new ramps in Little Rock and North Little Rock, though some have said widening I-30 will worsen traffic. Numerous studies have shown that adding more lanes to a road actually increases traffic in the long run, according to a research paper from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation.
The 30 Crossing Project is itself part of the Connecting Arkansas Program, a $1.8 billion highway-construction project made up of 31 different programs across the state.
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