I-49 lane closed in Benton County for unscheduled maintenance

BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Arkansas Department of Transportation says a lane on Interstate 49 south near the exit 85 ramp in Benton County has been closed due to an unscheduled maintenance issue.

Contractors discovered underground water seeping onto the road. Dave Parker with ARDOT says crews were supposed to stop each morning at 6 a.m., but work is going on a little longer than anticipated. ‘

“While the water wasn’t presenting any danger or anything like that, it could eventually. I know it sounds crazy, but 6 months from now when we’re in winter weather, you got water coming underneath and eventually seeping into the roadway can cause some problems there,” Parker said.

ARDOT expects the work to be completed by the end of next week. Parker says in the meantime, you might want to consider finding an alternate route to work.

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