BENTON COUNTY, AR Construction on the Bella Vista Bypass (Highway 549/Future I-49) will require a two-month lane closure on U.S. Highway 71B (Walton Boulevard) in Benton County, Arkansas, according to Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) officials.

The northbound outside lane of U.S. Highway 71B will be closed for roundabout construction at the interchange with Interstate 49. 

The northbound outside lane of U.S. Highway 71B will be closed from a half mile south of the I-49 interchange to the I-49 southbound entrance ramp. One lane of northbound traffic will remain open within the work zone. Traffic will be controlled using signage and traffic drums. 

This project is constructing approximately six miles of the bypass, extending from Highway 71B to Highway 72 South. The project involves the initial two lanes of a four-lane facility. The project is part of the Connecting Arkansas Program (CAP), which is funded through a 10-year, half-cent sales tax. The CAP's 36 projects in 19 corridors are improving Arkansas' transportation system by expanding selected two-lane roadways to four-lane highways and adding new lanes to identified interstate highways.