Long-awaited I-49 Bella Vista Bypass opens to drivers

BELLA VISTA, Ark. (AP) — The Bella Vista Bypass has opened to drivers, marking the end to a decades-long plan to link sections of an interstate in northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. The new roadway opened to the public Friday. It allows travelers to bypass Bella Vista, Arkansas, and connects 265 miles of Interstate 49 between Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Discussions for the project began more than 25 years ago, and construction began in February 2011. The Arkansas Department of Transportation says construction included six projects that totaled more than $220 million.