By Jeff Della Rosa
TBP
Fayetteville has nearly spent the $65.9 million bond issue voters approved in 2006, and discussion on the next bond issue is likely a year away. The city has completed 17 projects with the funding, and several more are in the works.
“The 2006 bond issue was developed based on the 2003 Transportation Master Plan,” city engineer Chris Brown said. “With it, we have been able to leverage state, federal and private grant funds to complete over $100 million in transportation improvements, including the Rupple Road extension, Mount Comfort Road widening, Crossover Road widening, Van Asche Boulevard extension and the Highway 71B flyover. The bond issue allowed us to address some of the most severe congestion issues, and to continue to build out our major street network, while at the same time extending our bicycle and pedestrian network in multiple locations. These improvements have set the stage for growth and economic development throughout the city.”
The last projects that will be paid for with the bond issue include phase three of the Old Wire Road project, which is set to start in March; phase three of the Rupple Road project, which will start in February; and the Maple Street (Arkansas Highway 112) widening project, which should start in either April or May. The $5.57 million third phase of the Rupple Road project will be built by Crossland Heavy Construction Co.
The Zion Road and Sain Street extension projects won’t be built with this bond issue because of a lack of funding, Brown said. They will be considered in the next bond issue.
Recently completed were the second phase of the Old Wire Road project, between Mission Boulevard and Ash Street; and the second phase of the Rupple Road project, between Persimmon Street and Congressional Road. APAC-Central completed the previous $2.575 million widening project, and Sweetser Construction completed the latter $2.538 million widening project.
Some of the other completed projects included the $7.987 million flyover, linking North College Avenue (U.S. Highway 71B) to the Fulbright Expressway and uptown Fayetteville; a $10.199 million project to widen Mount Comfort Road, between Interstate 49 and Rupple Road; and a $8.321 million project to extend Rupple Road, from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Persimmon Street.
In his 2018 state of the city address, Mayor Lioneld Jordan said the city expects to pay down the bond issue earlier than expected because of sales tax growth. “This allows us to pay off the debt some time in 2019, approximately five years sooner than anticipated and saves us from additional interest costs,” Jordan said. “I look forward to working with and collaborating with the city council and our citizens to galvanize support from everyone for the next phase of ‘Your Tax Dollars at Work,’ for the next round of the city’s growth planning.”