Louis County Highway Construction Case Study

In downtown Benton on the side of “The Bell Building” a mural is painted there. Behind that mural is a story that goes all the way back to the 1400s. When Native American inhabited the area and it ends in the 1900 when trains were in their heyday a pottery was a thriving industry. The Saline River, brought people to the area and was one reason why they stayed. The Saline County Courthouse was completed in 1902, and it costed $32,000. It was also place on the national register of Historic Places in 1976. The current courthouse is the third one to be built on that same spot. Most people believe that is the most beautiful building in the county. Arkansas once accounted for 97 percent of the country’s production of bauxite, used to make aluminum, and most of that came from Saline County. When state geologist John C. Branner discovered the ore in 1887, a work crew was using it to surface a new road. Saline County is one of Arkansas’ fastest growing counties, with a population growth of 30.1% from 1990 to 2000. The 2010 Census estimated the population to be 103,000.
As a result, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) began construction in 2000 on more than 350 miles of roadway. Most relevant to the study of ITS in work zones are the three work zones that utilized ITS with the goal of improving traffic safety and mobility during the time of construction. One of these three Arkansas projects using ITS included the widening of approximately 17 miles of I-30 from Sevier Street in Benton (mile marker 115) to Geyer Springs Road in Little Rock (mile marker 133).Prior to the beginning of construction, this section of I-30 had an Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of 63,000