SPRINGDALE -- State highway officials have identified money in a draft version of a new five-year transportation plan that can be used to finish work on three major Northwest Arkansas traffic corridors and start on a fourth, Highway Commission Chairman Dick Trammel told regional planners Wednesday.
The statewide Transportation Improvement Plan includes completing the widening of Interstate 49 to six lanes, finishing four lanes of the Bella Vista Bypass to the Missouri state line, widening and relocating the last section of Arkansas 265 in Springdale, and starting the planning process for improvements that will make 18 miles of Arkansas 112 a western north-south corridor.
The 2016 to 2020 plan identifies some $50 million for the Bella Vista Bypass, $50 million for I-49, $20 million for Arkansas 265 and $13 million for Arkansas 112 out of federal highway funding.
"I think it's good news," Trammel said. "[Arkansas] 265 has been so well received I think 112 will be also. It's the quickest way we can have a new north-south corridor."
Trammel said timing on finishing the Bella Vista Bypass to the state line will be dependent on how quickly Missouri moves to finish its section. But, Trammel said, "It's in the plans."
While the plan has not been finalized, it does signal the direction the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department wants to go, Trammel said. Several public input sessions are expected before the plan is formally adopted.
Jeff Hawkins, executive director of Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, said if projects are not included in the state's transportation plan, they won't qualify for federal money.
"It's important to get these projects started. Once you get them started, that's a commitment that they'll eventually be finished," Hawkins said. "[Trammel] has a lot to say about what projects he thinks are important in the region, and he can get a project started by including the initial steps in a state [Surface Transportation Improvement Plan]."
Hawkins said the lack of a long-term federal highway bill caused uncertainty about the projects. The Highway Department had been cutting back on projects last year because officials did not know if the money would be there. But that changed with passage of a new highway bill late last year, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act.
"It provided some certainty there was going to be money available for the next five years," Hawkins said.
In other action, planners approved the Northwest Arkansas Regional Open Space Plan. The plan will be included in a 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan that is expected to be adopted by regional planners in April.
The purpose of the plan is to develop a coordinated, voluntary program to protect and promote the region's most valued natural landscapes and open spaces. The goal is to preserve those assets in order to maintain a high quality of life as the region continues to grow and to make natural areas in Benton and Washington counties available to residents.
Some examples of open space include the regional trail system, national forests, state and national parks, wildlife management areas, rivers and areas around Beaver Lake, University of Arkansas agricultural property, city parks, properties held in trust and land owned by private nonprofit groups.
Participation in the plan is voluntary and will not constitute a new set of regulations but will be used for planning purposes.
Cities and communities in Benton and Washington counties are being provided with maps that show the location of natural resources, working land, heritage and cultural sites, outdoor recreation areas and corridors and large, intact areas of forest, wetlands, grasslands and aquatic features participants think should be considered a high priority for preservation.
Regional Planning will oversee implementation of the plan because it already has staff with expertise in place and the resources needed to implement the plan.
An Open Space Committee will be formed and charged with public education and outreach as well as gauging the level of interest from local landowners and exploring a local funding mechanism to acquire land, where appropriate.
Regional Planning and Alta Planning+Design started working on the plan more than a year ago. The plan was paid for with a $350,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
Metro on 01/30/2016