The final segment of the Springdale Northern Bypass received a $24.46 million federal grant, providing critical funding for Northwest Arkansas’ highest priority highway project.

The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, will support construction of a 6.6-mile segment that connects Arkansas Highway 265 in east Springdale to U.S. Highway 412 near Sonora. The final phase is estimated to cost more than $300 million.

Once complete, the full bypass will span more than 21 miles, forming a four-lane, divided highway from U.S. 412 in Tontitown to U.S. 412 east of Springdale. The corridor is intended to reduce congestion, improve freight movement and support long-term economic development across one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions.

Fast-growing Northwest Arkansas will need major federal and state investments to keep up with its population growth. The region has identified core needs related to highways, but also public transportation, wastewater, streambank restoration and drinking water. It will continue to need quality of life investment for improvements like regional parks and community centers to ensure that Northwest Arkansas remains one of the nation’s best places to live.

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission views the bypass as its No. 1 priority. The Northwest Arkansas Council has long identified the bypass as a strategic priority and has worked with state and federal partners to secure funding. That work remains ongoing, as the Council continues to pursue infrastructure investments that support the region’s growth and long-term success.

The bypass has progressed in four phases. Work on the first phase started in 2015 at a cost of about $100 million, and that four-mile segment is complete. A section to the west end of that project is under construction now for $180 million. It should be complete in August 2027.

Construction on two other sections hasn’t started, and it’s not clear when they will begin. A state Transportation Document published earlier this month shows the state plans to ask construction companies to submit bids in late 2026 to build a section that runs just south of the J.B. Hunt Transport Services headquarters, but the agency often pushes proposed bid letting dates back while it awaits additional funding.

The grant application submitted by ARDOT for the latest federal grant suggests that the fourth and final section of the highway’s construction could occur in 2029, 2030 and 2031, an indication that the state would like to get the roadway fully open by late 2031.

The Springdale Northern Bypass is a foundational piece of a broader plan to upgrade U.S. 412 to interstate standards between Interstate 35 in Oklahoma and I-49 in Arkansas. 

With this federal support secured, Northwest Arkansas is making tangible progress on a corridor that will strengthen mobility, drive economic development and help ensure the area remains a place where people and businesses can thrive.