Northwest Arkansas voters Tuesday came out heavily in support of a 10-year, half-cent sales tax to pay for highway construction in the state, helping Issue 1 pass by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent, statewide. Now it’s time for a big payoff in regional and local road projects.
Northwest Arkansas can expect to see more than $400 million in highway construction, according to state highway officials.
Projects earmarked during the next decade in Washington and Benton counties include adding lanes to Interstate 540, two lanes of the Bella Vista Bypass and phase one of the Springdale Northern Bypass, from I-540 to Arkansas 112, which includes an interchange for the proposed access road to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, according to Scott Bennett, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
“We appreciate the opportunity that we have been given. But with that opportunity comes responsibility, a responsibility that we do not take lightly. We have made commitments, both verbally and in writing, and it is now incumbent on us that we fulfill those commitments,” Bennett said in a prepared statement. “The Highway Commission and department must now implement and complete this highway construction program.”
The new revenue stream will begin in July, according to Bennett. Construction is expected to begin on projects shortly thereafter.
Mike Malone, CEO and president of the Northwest Arkansas Council, said telling people exactly what they will get for their money and support was key to passing the proposal.
“In a decade, we’ll look back at this Issue No. 1 decision as a milestone in advancing our region and advancing our state,” Malone said in a prepared statement.
In final but unofficial results, the sales tax got 39,008 (58 percent) votes for passage in Washington County and 28,718 (42 percent) votes against.
In Benton County, three machines used for tabulating paper ballots malfunctioned Tuesday night and remained out of service through the day Wednesday. Several thousand paper ballots printed on election day will have to be counted by hand because the county was unable to obtain ballot stock that fits the machines.
In votes counted, the sales tax received 39,390 votes for passage and 29,468 against in Benton County.
Bennett said about 25 percent of the sales tax money raised will be spent on projects in Benton and Washington counties. About $125 million will go for I-540 widening.
The plan is to widen the highway through the metro area from four to six lanes and in places, eight lanes. The first 1.4-mile section, between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Wedington Drive in Fayetteville, was recently completed at a cost of $5.8 million.
The half-cent sales tax is expected to raise $230 million a year statewide, and pay for $1.2 billion in four-lane highway construction. Seventy percent will go to state highway projects and 30 percent, about $33.5 million a year, to cities and counties for local projects.
The turnback money would be distributed based on population and land area. Estimates show Benton and Washington counties would each receive about $1.2 million a year.
The tax will be temporary, raising the state sales tax from 6 percent to 6.5 percent for 10 years. Food, medicine and gasoline are exempt.
Money from several pots is used to pay for road projects in the state. Most of the Highway Department’s funding comes from federal Surface Transportation Improvement Program funds. There’s also the Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles program approved by voters last November to repair interstate highways in the state.
At A Glance
Local Money
Here’s a look at the amounts Benton and Washington counties and the cites are expected to see annually and in total from turnback money generated by the 10-year, half-cent state sales tax for roads. The money can be used for various transportation projects, including public transit.
Annual 10-Year Total
Benton County $1.29 million $12.8 million
Avoca $8,692 $86,923
Bella Vista $471,325 $4.71 million
Bentonville $628,784 $6,28 million
Bethel Heights $42,250 $422,503
Cave Springs $30,797 $307,971
Centerton $169,482 $1.69 million
Decatur $30,263 $302,627
Garfield $8,942 $89,417
Gateway $7,214 $72,139
Gentry $56,251 $562,506
Gravette $41,413 $414,131
Highfill $10,384 $103,844
Little Flock $46,044 $460,442
Lowell $130,509 $1.30 million
Pea Ridge $85,391 $853,911
Rogers $996,835 $9.96 million
Siloam Springs $267,876 $2.67 million
Springtown $1,550 $15,497
Sulphur Springs $9,102 $91,020
Total $4.33 million $43.31 million
Washington County $1.22 million $12.29 million
Elkins $47,166 $471,664
Elm Springs $27,342 $273,415
Farmington $106,409 $1.06 million
Fayetteville $1.31 million $13.10 million
Goshen $19,077 $190,767
Greenland $22,425 $224,254
Johnson $59,742 $597,417
Lincoln $40,059 $400,594
Prairie Grove $78,017 $780,169
Springdale $1.24 million $12.43 million
Tontitown $43,818 $438,177
West Fork $41,271 $412,706
Winslow $6,965 $69,645
Total $4.27 million $42.75 million
Source: Move Arkansas Forward