Planners Approve Study

Road, Bridge Projects Closer To Start Date

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Regional planners moved about $6.5 million worth of proposed road and bridge projects forward Wednesday and approved a plan to do a new environmental study of the Cave Springs recharge area.

The full Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission approved a work program that has planning staff initiate and oversee the study of the Cave Springs Area Karst Resource Conservation Study. About $650,000 was identified to pay for studying the environmentally sensitive area.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, federal Fish & Wildlife officials and other state and federal agencies are expected to participate.

The full scope of the study will be developed in conjunction with the Highway Department.

At A Glance

Sensitive Areas

Cave Springs Cave Natural Area, a 57-acre property in Benton County is an example of an Ozark Mountains cave stream and hosts the largest known population of the rare Ozark cavefish. The federally protected cavefish only live in streams that are constantly 55 to 60 degrees and in permanently dark, underground passages. The area also harbors a summer maternity colony of the endangered gray bat. The property includes the cave and a portion of the cave’s recharge zone.

Source: Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission

The recharge area became an issue after wildlife officials became concerned about the effect a proposed access road to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and improvement to Arkansas 264 west of Lowell could have on the recharge area. The recharge area is home to the endangered Ozark cavefish and other species that call the underground water collection area home.

The route of the proposed airport access road is outside the recharge area but the Arkansas 264 project is partly within the area.

“It could stop some projects. It’s already delayed one,” said Jeff Hawkins, executive director at regional planning. “It was triggered by the endangered and threatened species act.”

The Arkansas 264 project has been put on hold. Other projects that could be affected by the study and resulting conclusion are improvement to the Arkansas 112 corridor, the U.S. 412 northern bypass around Springdale and widening and interchange improvements to Interstate 540.

The recharge area and cavefish caused I-540 to be rerouted when it was being planned and built.

Planners are trying to get $6.5 million worth of transportation projects into the pipeline this year. The new pot of money, which came to the area after the region hit 200,000 population, has to be spent within the fiscal year and cannot be carried over. The region should now get the money each year.

Projects on the list are $500,000 for the Cave Springs recharge area study; $1.1 million for the Fisher Ford Bridge replacement project in Benton County; $2.7 million for the I-540 Don Tyson Parkway interchange in Springdale; $320,000 for Rupple Road from Wedington Drive to Mount Comfort Road in Fayetteville; $1 million for Razorback Road from Sixth Street to Garland Avenue in Fayetteville; and $650,000 for two projects on 28th Place in Rogers. There’s also $100,000 for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission for planning work. The funding requires local matching of at least 20 percent.

There will be a two-week public comment period on the projects. The projects are expected to receive final approval February 19.