Fayetteville advisory panel reviews Midtown Trail plan

The proposed route and features of the Midtown Trial in Fayetteville are shown. (Courtesy/City of Fayetteville)
The proposed route and features of the Midtown Trial in Fayetteville are shown. (Courtesy/City of Fayetteville)

FAYETTEVILLE -- The city's resident advisory committee on trails and bicycle routes provided input Wednesday on a planned east-west trail corridor.

The meeting was held online via the Zoom app. City Hall is closed to the public to prevent the spread of covid-19.

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To provide feedback on the Midtown Trail design, go to:

fayetteville-ar.gov…

The Midtown Trail is a planned 2.5-mile continuous route for bicycles and pedestrians stretching from Interstate 49 east to College Avenue. Its main drags go along Porter Road and Deane, Sycamore and Poplar streets.

The trail surface would be a shared concrete path for bicycles and pedestrians on one side of the street. It would use the Razorback Greenway as a link between routes on Sycamore and Poplar streets.

Much of the discussion focused on whether the route on Deane Street should sit on the north or south side of the road. It is planned to be on the north side. Trails Coordinator Matt Mihalevich said there are more than 30 driveways or street intersections along the south side, so the north side is the best way to provide an unobstructed route. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's research farm takes up the entirety of the north side, aside from the planned new city police headquarters and fire station that will sit on the corner of Porter Road and Deane Street.

Paxton Roberts, executive director of BikeNWA and former chairman of the committee, participated in the meeting and said the trail should go on the south side of Deane Street. Any children going to school will be coming from neighborhoods on that side and would have to cross the street to get to the new trail, he said.

The plan also includes a new sidewalk on the south side. Marked crossings with lights are planned for the street. The speed limit is 35 mph on Deane Street.

"Would you rather be hit by a car moving 35 mph or somebody backing out of a driveway?" Roberts said.

Committee members agreed the street crossings should be numerous and highly visible, and that the combination of a new sidewalk on the south side and the trail path on the north side should serve residents' needs. Also, any additional traffic-calming measures should be considered.

Total estimated cost on the Midtown Trail project is about $8.2 million. Money will come from bond issues voters approved a year ago. The city hopes to receive $2 million in grants from the Walton Family Foundation.

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The city of Fayetteville will place markers on trails reminding users to stay at least 6 feet apart.

In other business, the city will place markers on trails reminding users to stay at least 6 feet apart. Trail use has increased significantly since the city declared a public health emergency in late March, Mobility Coordinator Dane Eifling said.

Tad Scott with the Fayetteville Police Department said school resource officers started patrolling trails since public schools moved to online learning. Officers have received a few complaints of groups not adhering to social distancing, but for the most part, people have been cooperative, he said.

"It's been strangely busy, but quiet," Scott said.

NW News on 04/09/2020

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