More Lanes Will Be Open On Arkansas Interstates Over Labor Day Weekend

Travelers on Arkansas` interstate highways this Labor Day weekend will find additional lanes open in construction areas. The state Highway and Transportation Department says more lanes will be open for the holiday weekend than in previous years during its five-year rehabilitation project. Arkansas is three years into the five-year interstate rehabilitation project worth almost one billion dollars. This year, 33 miles of interstate will be down to one lane in each direction. Last year, 84 miles of highway were reduced to one lane. Lane closures on Interstate 40, the state`s longest interstate highway, include 19 miles between Fort Smith and Little Rock and two miles between Little Rock and West Memphis. Also to be reduced to one lane is 12 miles of Interstate 55 between Osceola and West Memphis. No closures are planned on I-40 in central Arkansas between Conway and Lonoke, or between Little Rock and Benton on I-30. However, motorists will encounter major construction and lane shifts in some areas. Due to high traffic volumes anticipated in the West Memphis area, motorists are urged to expect delays and consider alternate routes near the I-55 work zone from the Tennessee state line to the intersection with I-40.