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December 1, 1998 9:40 AM, EST

The completion of the new $450 million highway from Alma to Fayetteville will be delayed until after January.

he four lane, 42-mile I-540, which could eventually become part of an interstate corridor from Mexico to Canada, will allow truckers to bypass the steep grades and sharp curves on two-lane U.S. 71 through the Boston Mountains.

Construction began in 1987 and the first section, about 10 miles from I-40 in Alma to Mountainburg, opened in August 1995

rkansas Highway and Transportation Department officials still don't know the date the other 32 miles will open, but had hoped to officially open the road sometime before Christmas. The delay is due to slow progress installing 1,400 lights and other equipment inside the Bobby Hopper Tunnel near Winslow, they say.