GRIDLOCK GURU : Landowner holds fate of tilting trees
Posted on Friday, April 11, 2008
Folks should take note of the pretty drive west of Interstate 540 on two-lane Wagon Wheel Road.
There they’ll find the Leaning Trees of Wagon Wheel, which Marilu Walla of Lowell thinks are gonna fall.
After The Guru goes out on a limb to answer her question (sorry, couldn’t resist ), Tim Brooks of Johnson asks about Gregg Avenue in Fayetteville.
Question: “A stretch of Wagon Wheel Road between Zion Road and Zigler Road looks like it could be dangerous,” Walla writes. “There are several dead and dying trees that could easily fall over on this curvy road. One dead tree on the north side of the road is actually leaning over and held up by the branches of its unhealthy neighbor tree ! I’ve called the Benton County Road Department several times and have left messages, but no one ever returns the calls and the dangerous situation still exists. Maybe you can rattle the cage better than I.” Answer: The trees are in Benton County, but it’s in the city limits of Springdale. The city sent Dave Nation, the signs and marking supervisor, to check on the trees.
Yep, they’re leaning. Nope, the city isn’t gonna chop them.
They are on private property, meaning the city can only order them trimmed if they make it difficult for drivers to see. They aren’t blocking views, Nation said.
Q: Because Brooks has issues with brevity, The Guru shall summarize his 333-word e-mail about Gregg Avenue between Shiloh Drive and Township Street.
He wants to know if the company hired to widen Gregg has a deadline or if it benefits financially from slow work.
He also wants to know when Gregg Avenue will be done, whether drivers on Drake Street will have a leftturn lane so they can go north on Gregg, and whether the Gregg-Drake intersection will get a traffic signal.
A: APAC-Arkansas Inc. started work Nov. 11, 2006, and had 170 working days to finish the $ 6. 5 million project. It’ll be four lanes with left-turn lanes at major intersections.
Three days were added to APAC’s time because the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department’s resident engineer decided weather made it difficult for crews to do much on three other days.
The Guru knows what you’re thinking: There have been a lot more than 170 days since Nov. 11, 2006.
Yep, but these are Highway Department days, and their calendar makes the 28-, 30-, and 31-day months on the Gregorian calendar look logical.
The Highway Department says working days are Monday through Friday, but holidays don’t count. Moreover, time isn’t “charged” between Dec. 21 and March 15 because of anticipated bad weather. If the contractor works then, it’s a bonus.
Bottom line is APAC had 43 working days left as of Sunday, but it can request extensions.
The Guru better wrap this up. He lacks brevity, too.
The late penalty is $ 1, 650 per working day.
A signal is planned at Drake.
There will be a left-turn lane off Drake Street for those who want to go north on Gregg.
APAC will be done in the summer. Robert J. Smith, aka The Guru, writes on traffic issues in Northwest Arkansas each Friday. He can be reached at gridlockguru@arkan sasonline. com or www. nwanews. com / gridlockguru.
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