BENTONVILLE -- The main connecting street between the arts and market districts in southeast downtown is about to become more pedestrian friendly.
The City Council accepted a bid earlier this week to create a sidewalk along Southeast Sixth Street.
The low bidder was Diamond C Construction at $132,384.28. The project budget is $137,384. The Endeavor Foundation provided $70,500 and a Community Development Block Grant provided $66,884.28, according to council documents.
Two bids were submitted. The accepted bid includes an incentive of up to $5,000. Fochtman Enterprises submitted the second bid at $162,355.
The sidewalk will be five feet wide and will be built between South Main and Southeast E streets.
There's a sidewalk along most of the north side of Southeast Sixth Street. The project will include adding a sidewalk all the way down the south side as well as the gaps on the north side, said Ben Peters, city engineer.
Gaps on the north side are between Southeast D and Southeast E streets and from South Main to Southeast A streets.
A construction meeting was held Thursday. Work could start as early as Monday, Peters said. No road closings are expected.
The project has a 45-day contract, he said.
Southeast Sixth Street is the main street connecting the arts and market districts in the Southeast Downtown Area Plan, said Troy Galloway, community and economic development director.
The street was identified as a good connection for automobiles, but it's not good for pedestrians. The plan outlines the need for sidewalks, he said.
"Our hope is that this seeds future projects that provide more sidewalks" in the southeast portion of the downtown district, Galloway said.
The City Council approved the plan in February. The plan identifies "experience districts, encourage(s) a variety of residential development and create(s) a unique urban living and working environment," according to the city's website.
The arts district is between Southwest A and South Main streets between Southeast Fourth and Southwest Eighth streets. The market district is southwest of the railroad and includes the area around the closed Tyson and Kraft plants and vacant Ice House, the plan's map shows.
NW News on 07/12/2014