HIGHFILL -- A road to provide better access to Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Benton County has been a priority in the region for nearly two decades, and now options are being discussed to make it a reality.
Three proposed options are to be shared with the public Thursday during an open-house-style meeting in Rogers. The Arkansas Department of Transportation does not plan a formal presentation for the session, but the public is invited to view exhibits, ask questions and offer comments.
Aaron Burkes, CEO at the airport, said he looks forward to showcasing the three alternatives.
"The new XNA connector road is critical to providing safe, reliable and efficient access to the airport for our passengers," Burkes said. "The public-involvement meeting provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to see the options being considered, and to weigh in and guide the best possible route selection."
A better connection from Interstate 49 to the airport has been identified as a priority of regional significance for more than 20 years and is part of the region's 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, according to Tim Conklin, at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.
In 1998, Congress enacted the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and identified an intermodal connector access road to the airport as a high priority, Conklin said. Intermodal connectors are public highways that link the nation's ports, rail and truck terminals, airports and passenger transit terminals to the National Highway System.
"Existing access from I-49 to XNA is not adequate and does not provide the level of reliability, mobility, economic development potential, and safety for travelers and freight going to and from XNA and I-49," Conklin said of the airport. "The current southern access from I-49 to XNA has been closed several times this year for many hours and days" because of flooding and a recent tornado.
The state Transportation Department contracted earlier this year with Garver Engineering to perform an environmental assessment for a connector road. The scope of work includes roadway and bridge design plans.
In June, the department offered to design the access road. Airport officials accepted the offer, saying it would speed the process of getting the road done, after some 20 years of frustration.
Garver will evaluate several alignment alternatives. They range from building a road on a new route to improving existing highways, including Arkansas 112 and Arkansas 264, to a combination of both.
Tim House, director of engineering and construction at the airport, said the focus has narrowed to a four-mile area between the airport and Arkansas 112. The road will likely serve more of western Benton County than just the airport, he said.
The original plan was to have the airport authority build and pay for a long driveway to the airport from U.S. 612 at Elm Springs. That plan was shelved in favor of having a road run near the airport that could end up being a highway with an airport exit.
Bill McAbee with Garver told airport officials in October that he hopes a preferred route can be selected by June and to have at least 60% of the design work done by July 2021. Then, right of way acquisition could begin. Bids could go out by the spring of 2022, if all goes well, McAbee said. Construction would likely take 24-30 months.
The Federal Highway Administration will make the final call on a route, McAbee said.
Burkes said he expects the project to be paid for using money from a second Connecting Arkansas Program. Voters will be asked next November to approve extending taxes for future road projects.
"They've identified it on the first list of projects that will be funded with CAP II," Burkes said. "So, we think that this will be funded, but the funding will be contingent upon the passage of the sales tax referendum next November."
The Connecting Arkansas Program is one of the largest highway construction programs ever undertaken by the state. In 2012, voters approved a constitutional amendment for a 10-year, half-cent sales tax for projects to widen and improve 200 miles of highways and interstates. The original program will expire in 2022, if not extended by voters.
XNA Access road public meeting
When: 4-7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Trinity Grace Church, 5845 S. Bellview Road, Rogers.
For those unable to attend, submit questions or comments anytime to the project team via email [email protected].
Source: ARDOT
SundayMonday on 12/02/2019
CORRECTION: A public meeting to discuss proposed routes for a road between the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and the Springdale Northern Bypass will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Trinity Grace Church, 5845 S. Bellview Road in Rogers. The day of the meeting was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.
The story was updated to correct the day of the public meeting.