Regional planners receive wish lists

Cities, counties pitch for share of federal transportation money

SPRINGDALE — Cities and counties made their pitches Thursday for a share of almost $8 million in federal transportation money the Northwest Arkansas metropolitan planning area is expected to receive next year.

But, the requests total more than $18 million.

Planners expect to get about $7.4 million for highway projects, roads and bridges, and about $490,500 for transportation alternative projects like trails, sidewalks and bike lanes. There were $17.9 million in requests for surface transportation projects and $888,000 for alternative projects.

A subcommittee is expected to review the requests next week and make recommendations to the full Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission board next month. Projects

have to be selected by the end of August.

Projects have to be ready to go and local matches are required to receive the money.

Among the requests made Thursday to the Technical Advisory Committee were:

■ Benton County wants $187,500 for design and environmental work to replace a flood-prone, one-lane bridge on Wagon Wheel Road. Total project cost is expected to be $1.75 million.

■ Farmington wants $800,000 to move utilities as part of improvements to South Hunter Street. Total project cost is expected to be $9.9 million.

■ Fayetteville is asking for $2.3 million for construction of Rupple Road improvements. Total project cost is expected to be $7.7 million.

■ Lowell is seeking $4.2 million for construction to extend Dixieland Street from Monroe Avenue to Apple Blossom Road. Total project cost is expected to be $6.7 million.

■ Razorback Transit and Ozark Regional Transit want $720,000 for new vehicles. They anticipate about $1.6 million in needs, not counting replacement of ORT’s fleet, most of which was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.

■ Rogers asked for $2.28 million for construction for improvements to 28th Place, Phase I, from Pleasant Grove Road north. Total project cost is expected to be $3.2 million.

■ Rogers is also asking for $3 million for construction for improvements to 28th Place, Phase 2, between Pauline Whitaker Park and Bellview Road. Total project cost is expected to be $4.4 million.

■ Springdale and Johnson want $4.3 million for right of way and moving utilities to extend 56th Street from Don Tyson Parkway to Johnson Mill Boulevard. Total project cost is expected to be $17.5 million.

■ Fayetteville wants $280,000 in transportation alternative money for lights on the Cato Springs Trail. Total project cost is expected to be $350,000.

■ Rogers wants $500,000 in transportation alternative money for construction on sidewalks along West Walnut Street. Total project cost is expected to be $1.8 million.

■ Siloam Springs is asking for $108,000 for construction of an East Main Street Trail extension. Total project cost is expected to be $135,000.

Members voted to make Rupple Road the fallback project in case another project that receives money falls through. If Rupple can’t take the money it would go to Razorback Transit for buses.

“We don’t want to leave money on the table,” said Patsy Christie, Springdale planning director.

In a related move, the group decided $243,517 earmarked for a trail connecting Cave Springs to the Razorback Greenway will go to Springdale for work on Dean’s Trail. Other options were to use the money to renovate War Eagle Bridge in Benton County or lighting for Fayetteville’s Mud Creek Trail.

Chris Brown, Fayetteville’s city engineer, said Dean’s Trail was clearly a more regional project than the other two options.