Drivers navigating the busy stretch between Northwest Arkansas National Airport and the trail systems around Crystal Bridges will notice the lights change at East Central Avenue and McCollum Road next week.
The Bentonville Street Department is officially flipping the switch on the newly installed traffic signal, though motorists will want to pay extra attention for the next few days as the system transitions from static electronics to active guidance.
Beginning Thursday, September 11, at 1 p.m., the signal at East Central Avenue and McCollum Road will enter a phasing period known as flash mode. During this period, motorists driving eastbound on East Central Avenue will encounter a flashing yellow light, while drivers on McCollum Road will see a flashing red light.
This setup signals a controlled stop-and-go during the technical calibration of the infrastructure before it fully opens to traffic. The city is asking residents to exercise caution during this window, as the flashing signals imply a different set of driving behaviors than the standard steady lights everyone is used to navigating near the Square or on the Parkway.
For the uninitiated, a flashing yellow means you proceed with caution, yielding the right of way to vehicles and pedestrians in the intersection. A flashing red, meanwhile, requires a full stop—just like a red light—before proceeding when safe to do so.
The signal is scheduled to become fully operational on Monday, September 16.
McCollum Road in 2026
Getting traffic flow right on McCollum isn’t just an afternoon diversion; it’s a daily grind for thousands of people in Benton County. As the thoroughfare continues to connect the northwest corner of the city to both Walton-funded amenities and the broader Highway 71 corridor, it’s become one of the primary arteries for the morning and afternoon rush.
Drivers who spend their time hugging the curves of Beaver Lake or weaving through the commercial development near the intersection of Monroe and苫 know that signal timing is everything. A greasy light or a phantom jam can turn a ten-minute commute into an hour-long ordeal, especially during the evening hours when folks are trying to get home to Rogers or Fayetteville.
The addition of this light at East Central is part of a broader pattern of infrastructure updates across Bentonville that reflects the region’s explosive growth over the last decade. What was once a quiet route to the airport has evolved into a high-traffic zone that needs the redundancy of timed signals to prevent bottlenecks.
The city has invested in systems that do more than just turn cars green; they manage the flow of the daily Bentonville Daily—a massive workforce navigating the urban core and its outskirts seeking everything from coffee at the Morning News building
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
