ARDOT sets priorities for highway projects for next 3 years

State will be spending millons on bridges, highways, new routes

By Ralph Hardin

news@theeveningtimes.com

A report released earlier this month by ArDOT will be giving state highway officials the proverbial road map on how and what projects to work on in the next few years, with a focus on several projects in Northeast Arkansas.

ArDOT released its draft STIP, or State Transportation Improvement Plan, report on June 19 with requests for work to be done from 2025 to 2028.

Jared Wiley, who serves as Chief Engineer for Pre-Construction, said it takes quite a bit of labor and time to put together the report and present it to the Arkansas Highway Commission. The report solicits ideas from ArDOT staff and other partners, looking at safety and congestion; as well as takes ideas from residents and people who live in a particular area. Wiley said the state agency also looks at needs, as well as funding to determine what kind of projects can be done.

For instance, the STIP has about $5 billion set aside for 725 projects around the state.

Priority projects

In this year’s STIP, there are several priority projects set aside in Northeast Arkansas.

According to Wiley, there are plans to add passing lanes along the Highway 412 corridor as well as a plan to help develop the future I-57.

For the I-57 project, there is $14 million set aside for developing property for future construction on the highway.

The highway, which is now Highway 67, will eventually run from North Little Rock to the Arkansas-Missouri state line. There are also plans for work in Greene County, including Highway 135 near Paragould as well as taking bids later this year for the next segment of Highway 49 between Paragould and Marmaduke.

Officials are also looking at widening Highway 1 south of Jonesboro, as well as working on the Highway 77 interchange between West Memphis and Marion, with a major railroad and two interstates nearby.

Another major project involves the building of a bridge across the Mississippi River between West Memphis and Memphis. Wiley said officials are looking to replace the existing I-55 bridge with a new bridge.

The new bridge is expected to cost between $800 million and $1 billion, with the state of Arkansas playing roughly a quarter of the cost. Wiley said the state, along with the state of Tennessee, has already requested $400 to $500 million from the federal government for the project.

Wiley said the work on Highway 412 as well as work on Highway 135 came as a result of hearing from local residents. He said a group was established about four years ago to advocate for work being done on Highway 412 while the city of Paragould presented a list of transportation priorities to state officials on the Highway 135 project.

Paragould Mayor Josh Agee said one of the projects, to help widen a road traveled every day by Paragould school buses to a campus in Oak Grove, will help keep kids safe with officials seeing the project as a need.

State and local projects According to the preliminary report, here is a list of local and regional projects by county, with possible starting time:

Crittenden

• BNSF Railroad Overpass in Marion, $14,264, 2025

• I-55/ Hwy. 77 in Marion , new for 2025, $49,200

• I-40/I-55/Hwy. 77 Interchange Improvements in West Memphis, $1.2 million, 2025

• Crittenden-Various, Interchange Improvements & Pavement Preservation, $63,600, 2025.

• Fish Bayou structures and approaches, Crittenden – 147, structures and approaches, $336,,344, 2025.

• Cross County Line/County Rd. 375, Major Widening $297.995, 2027.

• I-55 Mississippi River structures and approaches, West Memphis, Preliminary Engineering, Crittenden /I-55, Project Development, $50,000, 2026.

• Hwy. 149, structures and approaches, (Crittenden Co.), structures and approaches, $138,500, 2028.

Greene

• Highway 34 structures and approaches, $1.7 million, 2025.

• Highway 49 Marmaduke south, major widening, $40.6 million, 2026.

• Highway 498 and Fairview Road, major widening, $9.5 million, 2027.

• Highway 135 Fairview and Sunset, major widening, $17.2 million, 2027.

• Highway 141 Poplar Creek structures and approaches, $2.8 million, 2025.

• Highway 141 Lick Creek structures and approaches, $1.2 million, 2026.

See ARDOT, page A2 ARDOT

From page A1

• Highway 168 structures and approaches, $4 million, 2026.

Craighead

• I-555 operational improvements – $29.7 million, 2028.

• Highway 1, from Poinsett County line to Jonesboro, major widening – $27.1 million, 2027.

• Highway 1, from Caraway Road to I-555, major widening – $16.8 million, 2026.

• Highway 18, from Parker Road south (Highway 18), $2.9 million, 2025.

• Highway 18, structures and approaches, $1.2 million, 2025.

• Highway 18 and 139, intersection improvements at Monette, $1.3 million, 2025.

• Highway 49 and County Road 762, intersection improvements at Brookland, $1.9 million, 2028.

• Highway 49 and School Street, intersection improvements at Brookland, $1.25 million, 2026.

• Highway 49 and Parker Road, intersection improvements in Jonesboro, $3.2 million, 2025.

• Highway 91 Structures and approaches, south of Egypt, $6.9 million, 2025.

• Highway 91, west of County Road 132, major widening, $10 million, 2027

• Highway 158 Honeysuckle Ditch structures and approaches, $1.3 million, 2027.

• Highway 226 Cable Median Barrier improvements, $6.6 million, 2025.

• Highway 351 Pleasant View Drive and Peachtree Avenue, major widening, $3.7 million, 2025.

• Highway 886 Structures and approaches, $600,000, 2025.

• Highway 351 connector with Aggie Road, $8.1 million, 2026.

• Highway 135 (and Poinsett County) structures and approaches, $16.8 million, 2026.

Clay

• Highway 62, St. Francis River Structures and Approaches – $4.5 million, 2026.

• Highway 67, from Corning to the Missouri state line, new location – $64 million, 2026.

• Highway 141, Johnson Creek Structures and Approaches – $2.3 million, 2028.

Cross

• Highway 49 and Highway 64, intersection improvements, $3.5 million, 2025.

• Highway 350 structures and approaches, $2.1 million, 2027.

• Highway 364 structures and approaches, $9.3 million, 2025.

• Highway 364 Prairie Creek structures and approaches, $1.2 million, 2028.

Jackson

• Highway 17 Village Creek structures and approaches, $8.2 million, 2026.

• Highway 37 Cache River Relief structures and approaches, $5 million, 2025.

• Highway 37, Pompeys Creek structures and approaches, $900,000, 2027.

• Highway 42 structures and approaches, $1.7 million, 2028.

Lawrence

• Highway 62 Spring River structures and approaches at

See ARDOT, page A7 ARDOT

From page A2

Imboden, $20.2 million, 2027.

• Highway 63 Imboden to County Road 208, passing lanes, $13 million, 2025.

• Highway 63 (Highway 117 and Highway 25) at Black Rock, $11.5 million, 2025.

Mississippi

• Highway 14 at Ditch 40 structures and approaches, $5.7 million, 2028.

• Highway 61 structures and approaches at Frenchmen’s Bayou, $2 million, 2025.

• Highway 61 and 140 intersection improvements in Osceola, $900,000, 2026.

• Highway 120 Sleepy Bayou structures and approaches, $3.6 million, 2028.

• Highway 158 overpass at I55 structures and approaches, $6.7 million, 2028.

• Highway 239 Pemiscot Bayou structures and approaches, $4.3 million, 2028.

• Highway 325 improvements, $1 million, 2025.

Poinsett

• Highway 14 structures and approaches, $4.9 million, 2026.

• Highway 69 structures and approaches, $900,000, 2025.

• I-555 and Highway 463 in Trumann (major widening), $6 million, 2025.

• Highway 75 structures and approaches, $2.4 million, 2025.

• Highway 118 at the Tyronza River and ditch structures and approaches, $13.8 million, 2025.

• Highway 140 left hand chute at the Little River structures and approaches, $6.8 million, 2025.

Next steps

The STIP report is now in its public comment phase, with a July 22 deadline for people to comment on the report.

Wiley said after the deadline, staff will review comments from the public and present the report to the highway commission in October. If approved by the commission, the report will then go to federal officials for their review with final approval expected by the end of the year.

People can learn more about the report by visiting the STIP website, on the Arkansas Department of Transportation portal at: https://www.ardot.gov/divisions/ programmanagement/ project-develop ment/statewide-transportation- improvement-program/.