Bentonville has extended the closure of two city streets as crews continue work on a sewer main extension project. The section of Southeast Seventh Street between Southeast C Street and Southeast D Street will remain closed weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Tuesday, Oct. 13. This closure originally started Sept. 1 and was expected to wrap up by late September.
Meanwhile, Southeast A Street between Southeast Second and Southeast Third streets will also stay closed during the same daily hours, with that closure now set to end this Friday. That closure began about a week later, on Sept. 10.
The work on these two streets is part of the city’s ongoing effort to extend the sewer main system. These extensions are designed to accommodate future development and improve the city’s wastewater infrastructure in the area south of downtown.
Bentonville officials have provided detour routes around the closed streets, encouraging drivers to use alternate north-south and east-west corridors to navigate around the work zones. You can find a real-time map of the closures and other street projects on the city’s official website, which helps drivers avoid delays near these closures.
The Southeast Seventh Street stretch runs parallel to the trail system that links the Sager Creek Greenway with the neighborhoods near Walton Boulevard. While the closure creates some inconvenience for drivers and local businesses, city crews are focused on completing the sewer main extension before cooler months slow the progress.
In Benton County city planning, sewer infrastructure projects like this one are critical to manage the rapid growth Bentonville has been experiencing. Southeast Neighborhoods around these streets have seen several new housing developments, and upgrading sewer lines ensures the system can handle the increased water flow.
If you’ve driven around downtown or the airport area lately, you might have noticed several other spotty street closures. The city’s commitment to strengthening underground utilities here goes hand-in-hand with upcoming road improvement plans, including sidewalks and stormwater upgrades.
The extended closures on Southeast Seventh and Southeast A streets are a reminder that Bentonville’s infrastructure is still catching up with its growth. The city asks everyone to please follow posted detours, watch for workers, and allow for extra travel time during construction hours.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
