ARDOT I-49 Extension (Hwy 22 to Gun Club Road)

Project OverviewDescripción del proyecto

Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) was selected to contribute to the next phase of the I-49 corridor expansion in western Arkansas. This vital project is focused on connecting I-49 and Gun Club Road at Highway 22, from Barling to Van Buren. Crews will extend I-49 North across the Arkansas River Bridge and onto Gun Club Road — a critical infrastructure link that will promote regional mobility and opportunity.

The project site is located in the Arkansas River bottom near the Lock and Dam, presenting a unique set of challenges. Frequent rainfall, saturated soils and flood-prone conditions require constant communication amongst team members. To address these obstacles, ESS is employing strategic drainage solutions to maintain site stability and ensure steady progress despite the wet conditions.

This milestone project features the largest bridge structure in ESS’s history: the Gun Club Road Bridge. The substructure alone calls for 3,000 cubic yards of concrete, 682,840 pounds of reinforcing steel and 3,280 linear feet of bridge piling. The bridge features 52 columns supported by 14 intermediate bents, with the largest cap measuring an impressive 99 feet 6 inches in width. This bridge represents massive progress for the team in both scale and complexity.

In addition to the bridge work, ESS is managing large-scale earthwork and utility installation. Upon completion, the team will deliver 129,922 cubic yards of unclassified excavation; 496,649 cubic yards of compacted embankment; 198,833 cubic yards of rock fill; and more than 36,000 linear feet of underground storm utilities. ESS is committed to building infrastructure that strengthens communities and drives progress for generations to come.