Ground collapses under Arkansas 7 near Jasper

Crews are now working diligently to get the highway reopened.

August 15, 2012|by Linda Russell, KY3 News | lrussell@ky3.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Sections of the most scenic highway in north Arkansas are suddenly slip-sliding away. The land slid and the asphalt cracked after heavy rains in the spring of 2011. Crews patched up the asphalt to make sure Arkansas 7 was still drivable, and this week, they were working on a more permanent fix when a collapse occurred.

The giant hole in the ground on Arkansas 7 is a little larger than road crews in Newton County had planned.

"When we started in digging, the road actually slipped out from under us and we lost a section of the road," said Stacy Burge, an engineer with the Arkansas Highway Department.

Despite this year's drought, the dirt deep under Arkansas 7 was too slick and soggy to stay.

"When we got down there, it was extremely saturated, so much so that it wouldn't come out of the bucket of the track hoes when we were excavating it," Burge said.

The situation was too treacherous for traffic.

"As soon as it got to where we were not comfortable, we stopped traffic and put them on a detour," said Burge.

The detour will take drivers about an extra 14 miles on alternate highways. Philip Campbell hopes the detour signs in Jasper won't cause folks to skip the Newton County Fair.

"The slide is on past the fairgrounds, so we're hoping they realize they can come through the detour to the fairgrounds," Campbell said.

Campbell is still hoping for a good turnout for Friday night's four-wheeler rodeo, even from folks to the south of the collapse.

"It'll take them a little longer to get here, but we're hoping they still come out," Campbell said.

Some have even found a shorter route on Old Highway 7, or County Road 45; just be prepared for more than three miles of gravel, a steep hill, and one hairpin turn.

"They're going to have to leave at least 30 minutes earlier to get here on time -- the contestants and everybody else, if they're pulling trailers. Otherwise, the dirt road's not going to slow them down that much," Campbell said.

In the meantime, road crews are working hard to build Arkansas 7 a better base.

"Of course the urgency went up, because we don't like to close the road," said Burge.

Crews will be working 12 to 13 hours a day, seven days a week, until they get at least one lane of Arkansas 7 back open. Traffic is being diverted off Highway 7 eastward to Vendor, then back to Highway 7 using Highways 374, 123, and 74.

Last year, the Newton County Fair had water supply problems. This year, it's a road problem, but they're hoping for a good turnout nonetheless, starting on Friday.

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