ROGERS — Widening of Laurel Avenue between Eighth and 26th streets will open a new east-west corridor on the southwest side of the city.
A public hearing giving residents the opportunity to review the proposed route of the project is scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Rogers High School, 2300 S. Dixieland Road.
Meeting Information
Public Meeting
A public meeting on the proposed widening of Laurel Avenue between Eighth and 26th streets is scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Rogers High School. Residents will have the opportunity to talk to city officials and review the preliminary plans of the project.
Laurel Avenue, which is north of Pleasant Grove Road, is a narrow two-lane road with no curb and guttering. Laurel runs through mostly agricultural property, although there are a few sparsely populated subdivisions nearby.
“This has been on the master street plan for several years,” said Lance Jobe, a city engineer. “The improvements — widening the street to three lanes, adding curb and guttering, storm drainage and sidewalks — were part of the original street projects city officials said they wanted to do when they asked voters to extend a 1 percent sales tax to fund $135.4 million in bonds.”
The majority of the bond money — $100 million — is slated for street improvement.
At the public hearing city officials will have maps and photos of the expected route on display to give residents an idea of what the improvements will entail, Jobe said.
“This will be the first time residents will have had the opportunity to review the project,” Jobe said.
He said the plans available at the meeting are preliminary and could change as the project moves forward.
Glenn Neal, through Greenvalley Inc., owns several acres of pasture land on Laurel Avenue near Eighth Street.
“We’ve known for a while the city had plans to widen Laurel,” said Neal, who also owns a real estate company, on Wednesday. “I’m all for the improvements. I know I may have to sell a little land for the right of way, but it should increase the value of my property in the long run.”
The actual design of the project is several months away, Jobe said.
The information and comments provided by residents at the meeting may be incorporated into the design, city officials said.
“That’s why we have public hearings, to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions,” said Steve Glass, city director of planning and transportation.
The area surrounding Laurel Avenue is beginning to develop, Glass said.
“As with most of our street projects, this is designed to improve traffic flow and connectivity,” Glass said.
Construction is at least three years away, Jobe said.
“This project is slated for the second phase of the bond program,” he said. “We can do the design work and maybe begin buying right of way, but the money for construction is scheduled to come from the second draw on the bond money, which isn’t until 2015.”