The last two railroad overpass projects identified as part of an initiative now more than 20 years old to make travel safer in central Arkansas are in the design stages.
By the time the last overpass is built -- one on Arkansas 89 in Mayflower starting in 2020 -- more than $100 million will have been committed to the effort.
The official helping shepherd the projects these days is Casey Covington, the deputy director for Metroplan, the long-range transportation planning agency for central Arkansas. Covington, 39, was still in high school when the initiative was conceived.
"The importance of rail-grade separations were identified as part of public outreach for Metro 2020 adopted in July 1995," Covington said.
Metro 2020 was the agency's long-range transportation plan at the time.
Overpasses eliminate the danger of train-vehicle collisions at at-grade crossings.
Just as important for many communities is the traffic problems the railroad tracks can create, officials say. A passing train can hold up road traffic, isolating one part of a city from another, which is especially a problem when emergency vehicles are involved.
In July 1997, the agency's board of directors, composed of the participating mayors and county judges in Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski and Saline counties, adopted a priority list of 12 overpass projects to be completed by 2020.
The first railroad overpass under the initiative -- a four-lane overpass on East Main Street in Jacksonville -- was completed in 2003.
It is among seven that have been completed in the years since. They include two in Little Rock -- one on Baseline Road and another on South Loop. Work is expected to start later this year on a third on Geyer Springs Road, according to Metroplan.
Overpass projects also have been completed in Benton, Cabot and Conway under the initiative. An overpass on McCain Boulevard in North Little Rock has been completed.
A second Jacksonville overpass, on J.P. Wright Loop, is scheduled to start construction in 2019, according to Metroplan.
Another Little Rock overpass project on Springer Boulevard was canceled after railroad traffic decreased on the tracks Springer crosses, and planners concluded that the project would have too much of an impact on a nearby community center.
The Arkansas 89 project in Mayflower replaced a project on 15th Street in North Little Rock, which faced community opposition.
Costs for the overpasses have steadily risen over the years, Covington said.
The Main Street overpass in Jacksonville cost $3.1 million.
The overpass on McCain Boulevard in North Little Rock cost $10.17 million.
The Arkansas 89 overpass in Mayflower is projected to cost $27.1 million, but that includes a new location connection for Arkansas 89, which added $11.83 million to the total project cost, according to the latest figures from the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
The projects have been built with a mix of local, state and federal money.
North Little Rock chipped in $2,034,691 for the McCain Boulevard overpass; federal money, distributed through the state Transportation Department, totaled $8,138,763.
The Arkansas 89 project in Mayflower will be paid with money from four entities.
The state Transportation Department is contributing $15,230,000, which includes $12,184,000 in federal transportation money it receives and $3,046,000 in state matching money.
The local share is $11,825,000. Of that, the Metroplan board has agreed to contribute $9,460,000. That leaves $2,365,000 to be paid by Mayflower and Faulkner County.
Metro on 05/29/2018