WASHINGTON -- The federal government will provide $25 million to complete Interstate 49 near the Arkansas-Missouri line and $20 million to extend Hot Springs' highway bypass, according to U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton's office.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao called Cotton this morning to inform him that the money had been granted, a Cotton spokesman said.
Cotton had urged the Transportation Department and the White House to support the funding.
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission had applied for the first grant, which will help to complete 4.8 miles of interstate in southwest Missouri. The money was a missing piece, as the state works to complete the Bella Vista bypass.
The I-49 Missouri-Arkansas Connector in the past was referred to as the Bella Vista Bypass, but leaders in both states starting calling it the Missouri-Arkansas Connector to better convey the project's location and importance to a national audience, according to the commission. The second grant was completed by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
NW News on 12/07/2018