Federal grant awarded for expressway extension

A $20 million federal grant for the extension of the King Expressway was awarded to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, according to a joint announcement by Garland County's congressional delegation on Thursday.

The county and ArDOT have committed $60 million to the more than 5-mile, two-lane extension connecting the Highway 70 east interchange to the junction of highways 5 and 7. The county has obligated $30 million of the $54.6 million bond issue voters approved in a 2016 special election.

It's paid the state $5 million, or half of the $10 million cost for project development. County officials have said they expect the state to ask for the $25 million balance after the construction phase is put out to bid late next year. According to the 2019-2022 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, the project will be bid in the federal fiscal year that begins in October.

"The bypass is 50 percent on the final plans," James Montgomery, president of B&F Engineering Inc., the local company the county hired to coordinate with ArDOT, told the Garland County Quorum Court Monday night. "(ArDOT) advised us they're still on track to let the project in November. They won't seek the final $25 million payment until the project is let."

According to the STIP, the state's share includes $21.1 million in Surface Transportation Block Grant funds, $6 million in state funds and a $1.88 million federal earmark.

It's unclear if the $20 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant announced Thursday is an indication costs will exceed the $60 million to $65 million ArDOT estimated when it approached the county about a partnership in 2015, as ArDOT's spokesperson hadn't responded to a request for comment by presstime.

ArDOT has assured the county its commitment won't exceed $30 million.

"The bypass in Hot Springs plays an outsized role in our region's economy and movement of goods," U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-District 4, said in the release. "This grant will further support and expand the bypass, creating opportunity for additional economic development in the Ouachitas.

"It will also improve response time for emergency services, which will save lives. I'd like to thank (Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao) and the Trump Administration for awarding this grant important to our region's expanding infrastructure."

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., echoed Westerman's comments.

"This announcement is great news for the greater Hot Springs community and Arkansas as a whole," Cotton said. "This extension will help Hot Springs continue to grow, and I'm grateful to Secretary Chao and the Trump Administration for their dedication to improving Arkansas infrastructure."

Montgomery told the quorum court the project is on schedule.

"Usually what delays letting is utility relocates," he said. "This job is not Highway 7 south. It's a big earthwork job, but not a lot of utilities to relocate. Overall, I feel pretty good where we are considering the size of the project."

The area's transportation policy board's 2040 plan ranked the extension 17th among the area's top 40 transportation priorities and estimated project costs of $68.7 million. The county has said bonds financing the extension should be paid off by 2023, allowing the five-eighths cent sales tax that's securing the debt to sunset around the same time.

Local on 12/07/2018

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