Central Arkansas counties get funds for trail connecting Little Rock, Hot Springs

Pulaski, Saline secure $260,000 each for walking, bike path

With an influx of additional funds, design for a 65-mile-recreational trail between Little Rock and Hot Springs secured more than a half million federal dollars on Wednesday.

Pulaski and Saline counties were each given $260,000 in federal Transportation Alternatives Program money to design the Southwest Trail.

The transportation alternatives program helps organizations fund sidewalks, trails, bike paths and other non-motorized forms of transportation.

Metroplan, the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for central Arkansas, administered the federal funds.

The awards come with the stipulation that the counties must contribute a minimum of 20 percent of the awarded amount, or $52,000 each. That's in addition to the money the counties have previously pledged to build the biking and walking trail.

At a January meeting, Metroplan's board had voted to pursue a funding scheme that gave Pulaski and Saline counties at least $200,000 each, for the trail design.

At that meeting, the board voted to pursue funding 13 other transportation projects around central Arkansas so that a total of 15 proposals would receive $1.6 million.

Also at that meeting, the board decided to not award $180,000 for a 16th project at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism was asking for that money and was the only state agency that applied for the grant funds.

Instead, in February, an advisory committee to Metroplan divided that $180,000 into thirds. The three top rated projects each got an additional $60,000 on top of the money that was already carved out.

Those top three rated projects were the Southwest Trail design in Pulaski and Saline counties, and street and pedestrian improvements to Pike Avenue in North Little Rock.

Metroplan's board approved those amounts on Wednesday.

When completed, the Southwest Trail will run between the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site and Hot Springs National Park. The path will largely travel along an abandoned railway corridor.

Its design, which will cost an estimated $3.2 million, is also funded by a $2.65 million federal lands access program grant, plus $530,000 promised from Pulaski, Saline and Garland counties combined to satisfy a 20 percent local match requirement to receive that grant.

Pulaski County's public works department fielded bids to find a design firm. The top three firms were presented to the three county judges.

A Pulaski County spokesman said that a firm has been chosen, but declined to name which one as they are still in contract negotiations.

Once that period closes, the state Department of Transportation must approve the contract, the spokesman said. Then, designing the trail and, eventually, acquiring the surrounding land and constructing it can begin.

Metro on 03/01/2018

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