SPRINGDALE -- City Council members Monday discussed priorities for road improvement projects to be paid for under the 2018 bond program. Their comments allow Mayor Doug Sprouse and his staff to start the design phase of several projects.
"We've got about $78 million to spend on road projects," said Wyman Morgan, the city's director of administration and finance.
Street projects
Street improvement projects prioritized by Springdale’s City Council:
• Gene George Boulevard extension north from Bleaux Avenue to Elm Springs Road.
• Improving 40th Street north from Falcon Avenue to the bridge over Spring Creek.
• Extending Don Tyson Parkway east from Habberton Road to U.S. 412.
• Improving 64th Street and Watkins Avenue.
• Overlaying Huntsville Avenue from North Thompson Street to Interstate 49.
• Improving Spring Street in conjunction with the new Criminal Justice Center and City Administration Building.
• Extending Ford and Turnbow avenues to Butterfield Coach Road.
• Extending of Maple Avenue east to Park Street.
• Replacing the bridge over Spring Creek on Pump Station Road.
Source: Staff report
Council members prioritized extending Gene George Boulevard north from Bleaux Road to Elm Springs Road and widening 40th Street from Falcon Avenue north to the bridge over Spring Creek, to provide access to the planned Game and Fish Commission's Nature Center.
The design for George Boulevard has been completed, and the city is working to get appraisals for the areas in the road and utility rights of way, Sprouse reported.
The 40th Street improvement was judged by residents as the second-most important project, but also the most objectionable project -- mostly by people who own property along there, Sprouse said
"We're going to get some resistance on all of these," he said. "But we have to do what's best for the community."
Overall, the comments from a public meeting April 5 were pretty close to what city officials expected, with priorities judged similarly. "And we will put some weight on them," Sprouse said.
Council members also considered as priorities expanding Don Tyson Parkway east from Habberton Road to U.S. 412 and improvement to 64th Street and Watkins Avenue, just west of Arvest Ballpark. But members wanted to see updated construction estimates before they decided if Tyson Parkway should be two lanes or four and if improvement to Watkins Avenue could be continued west to Arkansas 112 and the improvement on 64th to Dearing Avenue.
"Sixty-fourth [Street] will be the next backbone of the overlay district," Sprouse said. The overlay district has been the site of several major developments -- Arvest Ballpark, Arkansas Children's Northwest and Sam's Club. More development has been proposed, including a Northwest Arkansas Community College campus, a medical office park and a facility for Highlands Oncology Group.
"The quicker we get things designed and bid, the better off we are," Sprouse said, noting other cities in Northwest Arkansas also are considering bond programs. "Based on the contract for Dean's Trail, we're in a good bid climate right now. But we don't know how long that will last."
Three other street projects "have to be done," Sprouse said, and the council agreed -- an overlay of Huntsville Avenue from North Thompson Street to Interstate 49, improvement to Spring Street required with the new Criminal Justice and Administration Building and extending Ford and Turnbow avenues to Butterfield Coach Road providing another access point for the city's east side industrial park. But these also are some of the least expensive projects on the list, Sprouse said.
In addition to fixing places in the road deteriorating, the Huntsville Avenue project will add a left-turn lane from South Thompson Street to Gutensohn Avenue. The existing lanes are wide enough to be narrowed to include the lane, encouraging drivers to reduce their speed on the road, said Brad Baldwin, the city's engineer.
Connections for the industrial district weren't listed as a priority by residents who attended a public meeting and provided written comment to the city. "You would expect it to score low," Sprouse said. "People comment on projects that will affect them."
But the improvements will be crucial if the new animal shelter is built in the area, and will improve safety for drivers traveling on Old Missouri Road in front of Northwest Technical Institute, Sprouse continued.
The city already has committed $2.4 million for the design of extending Maple Avenue west to Park Street and $37,000 for the design of a new bridge over Spring Creek at Pump Station Road. The city will be reimbursed 80 percent of the bridge cost when federal money becomes available in about two years, Sprouse said. The bridge was washed out in the spring 2017 floods, and the city staff have fielded many questions about its return.
Several projects not prioritized might be available for grant money or sharing the cost with neighboring cities.
"We have a lot more projects than we have money for, but that's always the case," Sprouse said.
NW News on 05/01/2018
