Metroplan, central Arkansas's long-term transportation planning agency, announced Aug. 30 that it had distributed a total of $16.5 million in federal grant money to 13 different cities and counties across the region to make certain intersections, trails and street segments safer and more environmentally friendly.
The money will be spent on a total of 15 projects that are either in the design phase or ready for construction, said Casey Covington, Metroplan's executive director.
"For those designated construction projects, we already provided funding for those designs, and they'll be ready to enter the construction phase next year," he told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
More than half of the awarded money — $9 million — will be spent on three projects: the Salem Road reconstruction in Conway, the Crystal Hill reconstruction in North Little Rock, and the Southwest Trail of the Regional Greenways in Pulaski County. Each of those efforts are to be awarded $3 million.
Additionally, the city of Little Rock will receive $1.1 million to reconstruct West Markham Street from Cedar Street to Pearl Avenue. That segment of road will undergo a "road diet" that will reduce the roadway from four lanes to two and add a center turn lane to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to Metroplan.
Covington said the sidewalks in that area are "really pretty narrow" and challenging for pedestrians. The coming construction project will allow for an expansion of those sidewalks to make it safer, he added.
"In the long run, we're looking to have better connectivity from that midtown area all the way to downtown," he noted in speaking of the Markham project. "That would be our hope."
The funding is provided through the Surface Transportation Block Grant and Carbon Reduction programs, which are federal-aid transportation programs administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), according to Metroplan. Jurisdictions submit applications to the Arkansas agency, and the decisions are made following a "rigorous" review process, Covington explained to the Little Rock-based news source.
Metroplan is the area's federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization. It aims to ensure that local governments across the region have a say in transportation decisions that are made at the federal level. It is not part of the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), but the two agencies work together to "develop a transportation network that is safe and functional" for central Arkansas, Covington said.
He added that the projects are designed not only to make transportation safer and easier, but also to improve air quality, which is why some of the money was awarded to projects related to the Central Arkansas Regional Greenways, which provides a safer path for pedestrians, joggers and bicyclists.
In speaking with the Democrat-Gazette, Lorie Tudor, ARDOT's director, said Metroplan does an "excellent job" identifying and addressing roadway safety concerns across central Arkansas.
"We commend [Metroplan] on this latest effort to fund much-needed improvements to the transportation system in the region," she said.
Small Municipalities Not Left Out
Several smaller jurisdictions also are getting a piece of the grant money, including the city of Austin, which was awarded $238,000 for the installation of a traffic signal at the corner of Arkansas 38 and North Lincoln Street. The intersection is a short distance east of Cabot Middle School North, barely outside the designated school zone.
Mayor Bernie Chamberlain said she was elated when she found out that her city's intersection was among those selected but was hoping for a tighter timeline for construction.
"[Metroplan] said it is going to be 2025 until it gets installed completely," she said. "I was hoping it would be all done by next year before school starts, but it's not looking that way. We're really ready for it."
A painted crosswalk is all that's there for students to use to cross the street, even though it's one of the busiest intersections in town, according to the city.
Chamberlain and Austin Public Works Superintendent Chris Nelson noted that the nearby city of Cabot was looking into adding a traffic signal to that intersection but realized in 2019 that it was actually located inside Austin's boundary. After that, Austin officials wasted no time looking for ways to make the intersection safer because of the traffic and pedestrian congestion there.
"This is something that's been in the works for a while and now we're finally able to put it all together," Nelson said.
The grant money will cover 75 percent of the cost of the intersection and Austin will foot the rest of the bill. It is currently due to go out for bidding in August 2024 and construction should begin about a month later, he added.
Below are the other 10 Arkansas municipal projects that received the federal transportation grants through Metroplan for the 2024 program cycle.
- The city of Benton was awarded $900,000 to construct 1.6 mi. of the Regional Greenways' Southwest Trail corridor from the intersection of Market and Hazel streets to the Saline River Bridge.
- Bryant received $170,000 to design 2 mi. of the Regional Greenways' Southwest Connector Trail from the junction of Hill Farm Road and Bryant Parkway intersection to the Ark. 183/Sardis Road intersection. The larger trail will seamlessly connect Bryant residents to the Southwest Trail and help complete 12 mi. of planned trails in the city.
- Cabot has been awarded $1.16 million in funding to construct 1.1 mi. of the Northeast corridor of the Regional Greenways. This section will start at the Cabot Freshman Academy and continue to the city of Austin city limits.
- Cabot also was granted $300,000 to design the Regional Greenways' Northeast corridor from the junction of Lincoln and Pine streets to Kerr Station Park.
- Greenbrier has been awarded $300,000 in funding to design a pedestrian overpass on U.S. 65 connecting Greenbrier Junior High to Matthews Park. The overpass is integral to the town's pedestrian and bicycle master plan.
- Little Rock has been awarded $400,000 to redesign Broadway Street from 17th Street to Roosevelt Road. This corridor will be reconfigured from four to two lanes and add a center turn lane to increase safety for drivers, pedestrians and bike riders.
- The city of Maumelle was awarded $1.1 million to build 1 mi. of the Regional Greenways' Northwest trail corridor along Club Manor Road from Millwood Circle to Odom Boulevard. The effort is designed to be part of connecting the Regional Greenways and aid in generating a safer transportation mode.
- In Sherwood, $460,000 will be used to engineer 0.9 mi. of the Regional Greenways' Northeast corridor from Gap Creek Drive to Oneida Street. When finished, the project will aid in the wider connection of the Regional Greenways and provide alternate transportation to pedestrians and cyclists.
- Wrightsville has been awarded $80,000 to develop concept plans that will improve safety and efficiency on 145th Street. The design will look into adding a roundabout for the intersection of 145th Street. and Ark. 365, as well as curbs and gutters, sidewalks and drainage improvements for the corridor.
- For its portion of the Southwest Trail construction, Saline County was awarded $1.3 million to create 2.5 mi. of the corridor from the Pulaski/Saline county line to Germania Road.
Metroplan is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for the four-county region of Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski and Saline counties. It is a voluntary association of local governments that has operated since 1955.
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