Brookland, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The Brookland School Board voted 4-0 Monday night to officially support a resolution recognizing the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and School Street as a traffic safety concern.
The unanimous vote puts the school district in lockstep with the City of Brookland, which passed Resolution 2026-09 in August declaring the exact same crossing an “immediate and ongoing public safety hazard.”
Together, the two entities are presenting a united front to petition the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) to immediately implement interim safety improvements and expedite a proposed geometric widening project.
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“The city’s been working with ARDOT for quite a few years and has not been able to [get it done],” Brookland Public Schools Superintendent George Kennedy told JRN on Tuesday morning. “Hopefully, with the school and the city asking for the split-phase lighting, we can get it done and help to keep the kids and the parents safe. With the two biggest entities in the city pulling together, it might get a little bit of attention.”
Expand for the Highway 49-School Street Resolution
Currently, the intersection relies on permissive green signals, forcing motorists turning left to yield across oncoming high-speed traffic. The school board’s resolution notes this configuration creates heavy congestion and safety issues, particularly during morning student drop-off and afternoon dismissal periods.
Under the proposed split-phase configuration, traffic entering from the east and west lanes would alternate green cycles with protected turn arrows.
“Rather than both directions being green at the same time and having to pause and wait to turn left, one direction at a time would be green with a designated turn arrow without extending the time of the light,” Kennedy explained. “We’re just asking for a protected left turn.”
While the two entities are united in their request, their financial commitments differ.
To remove hurdles for the state, the city previously agreed in its August resolution to pay for the two new signal heads and the necessary software updates to implement the split-phase system. Conversely, the school board’s resolution explicitly states that its support does not obligate the school district to provide funding, contribute property, or assume responsibility for the intersection or traffic-control devices.
Copies of the resolutions are being forwarded directly to the ARDOT Director, the District 10 Engineer Office, State Rep. Jon Milligan, and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Expand for Resolution No. 2026-09 from the City of Brookland
The push gained renewed urgency following a crash that occurred at the intersection on Oct. 10. K8 News reported that a helicopter was called to the scene.
“We had already planned this before the accident, but there have been several fatal accidents there this year, so it is very important,” Kennedy said. “We would rather a child be late to school or a parent late to pick up their child, but safe getting to school, than risking a life.”
Monday’s vote comes after a crash at the intersection occurred on Oct. 10, with a helicopter being called to the scene.
Kennedy said the resolution was planned before the accident but noted there have been several fatal accidents there this year.
“We would rather a child be late to school or a parent late to pick up their child, but safe getting to school, than risking a life,” he said.
K8 News reported that ARDOT recently adjusted speeds along Highway 49 through the area, lowering the limit from 60 mph to 45 mph following an initial traffic study.
While Kennedy noted that slower speeds “[have] to help a little bit,” local leaders maintain that physical changes to the intersection cannot wait for years-long state widening cycles.
Internally, the district has attempted to mitigate campus gridlock by staggering school opening times and shifting traffic flow toward newly constructed facilities.
“Traffic has been, compared to the past, a huge success to what it has been,” Kennedy said. “All of our buildings are getting opened at the right time this year for the first time ever, and just a few days that traffic has even gotten backed up on School Street. But we have to have a protected turn.”
Longer-term infrastructure relief could also hinge on the ballot box next month.
Brookland voters will decide Nov. 3 on a municipal bond restructuring capped at $18 million under the city’s existing 2% local sales tax. If approved by voters, a portion of those funds would be used to partner with ARDOT on major widening improvements at both Highway 49 and School Street and Highway 49 and Pine Log Road.
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