Project To Widen Highway Proceeds Slowly

FARMINGTON — The city of Farmington is continuing the process to obtain funding to widen Highway 170 to three lanes but the journey is a long and arduous one. If all its requests are approved for federal funding, the project possibly could be finished around 2020.

Melissa McCarville, city business manager, said the city is in negotiations with Garver, an engineering, planning and environmental services firm in Fayetteville, to design the project.

Ron Petrie with Garver said Farmington has applied for funding for two miles of Highway 170, from Main Street to Clyde Carnes Road, through the STP-A program, a federal highway program available to areas that have reached a threshold population of 200,000. The acronym stands for Surface Transportation Program — Attributable.

Northwest Arkansas is eligible for $6 million per year and communities can apply for the funds through Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. A committee evaluates the applica- tions and makes recommendations to the Commission.

Farmington already has been approved for the design phase of the project. The program is funded 80 percent with federal money and a 20 percent match. Farmington’s share of the design phase will be about $130,000.

The second step in the process is right-of-way acquisition and Farmington received approval for 2017 funding for this phase. Next, Farmington will apply for 2018 funding to pay to relocate utilities and the last step is to apply for money to construct the project.

Regional Planning Commission has a criteria it uses in selecting projects to receive STP-A funds, Petrie said.

“It’s a very set process that everything has to go through. Everything is well spelled-out,” Petrie added.

Garver has experience with the program and has worked with projects in Fayetteville, Lowell and Springdale.

“We’re very familiar with the process because we do it everyday,” Petrie said.

The preliminary design plan

calls for widening Highway 170, or South Hunter Street, to three lanes, filling in the ditches, curb and gutter along the road and sidewalks on both sides, Petrie said. The firm also will consider straightening up the curves and in particular will review the intersection at Southwinds Drive and Highway 170 to look at alternatives on how it can be improved.

The one question will be whether to separate actual construction into two phases and that will depend on cost and available funds, Petrie said.

The total cost of the project is very rough, he said. Based on figures from the year 2013 from Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, the total cost of the project would be $11.5 million. This includes design and engineering, acquiring rights of way, relocating utilities and construction.

At the request of Dick Trammel, chairman of Arkansas State Highway Commission, the Farmington City Council passed a resolution at its Oct. 12 meeting stating that the city would continue to apply for STP-A funds to complete the project.

The resolution also says the city would agree to accept ownership of that portion of Highway 170 upon completion of the project.

In a letter to Mayor Ernie Penn, Trammel writes that the Highway 170 project will “most certainly be considered for funding” in the state’s transportation improvement program for fiscal years 2016-2019.

Petrie said Trammel’s letter is very encouraging because it shows the Highway Commission is looking very favorably on the project and is willing to help the city fund the improvements.

Penn said widening and improving Highway 170 is very important to Farmington because of the new school facilities on the road.

A new basketball arena and performing arts center opened last year on Highway 170 and a new high school is expected to be ready for the 2017-18 school year.

“It’s not only a safety need for our school students but just for the development of our city,” Penn said. “Residentially, I think that is where it’s going to grow.”

Penn grew up in Farmington and he noted Highway 170 has not changed since that time.

“That road is exactly the same,” he said.

Bryan Law, Farmington superintendent of schools, has on many occasions discussed the need for widening Highway 170. He said he also believes many students will walk to the new high school and sidewalks will be essential for student safety.

Widening the road, Law said, will serve a common good for both the city and school.

Jeff Hawkins, executive director for Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, said the project takes such a long time because of federal regulations and guidelines.

In addition, the program goes through the state Highway Department and the state agency has its own ongoing projects.

The good news, Hawkins said, is that Farmington is considered “in the pipeline” for the federal program and the expectation is that it will move on to construction.

McCarville said the city has received support from the project from Trammel, the Highway Commission, state Sen. Uvalde Lindsey and state Rep. David Whitaker.

“We’re very thankful to them for helping us to continue to pursue the money,” McCarville said.