Tag Archives: Money

$95M Highway funding bill impacts Arkansas roads

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Bill brings road construction, repairs and reconstruction across the state

Delta Digital News Service

By Chloe Short | Aspiring Journalist

JONESBORO, Ark. – Interstates, major highways and other roads receive will receive improvements with the $95 million highway-funding bill signed by the governor. The bill helps fix unsafe roads, repair potholes and mend other road problems. 

   Dave Parker, public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said growing concerns about congestion and pavement preservation factor into the plans when deciding what areas to focus on. Congestion causes slower traffic or traffic back-ups, while pavement preservation keeps the current roads maintained so drivers experience less deterrents while on the road. 

   “About 76% of our total money goes toward just maintaining the highways and bridges we currently have. The remaining 24% is spent on new projects,” Parker said. 

   “About 76% of our total money goes toward just maintaining the highways and bridges we currently have. The remaining 24% is spent on new projects.”

ARDOT PIO Dave Parker

   ARDOT plans for Jonesboro residents and drivers passing through to experience road construction on I-555 that started April 14 and will continue until later this year. Road work involves reconstructing and overlaying pavement for five bridges. 

   Parker said, “Construction is in full-swing all over the state. ARDOT’s current plans aim at  improving many sections of downtown Little Rock, mending and widening I-30 in Saline County and widening Highway 10 in Pulaski County from a four-lane road to six. Those projects will take two years to complete with a cost of around $80 million,” Parker said.

Big projects like the Bella Vista Bypass in Northwest Arkansas see a predicted opening this fall.  Parker said to make sure the budget gets followed, ARDOT hires contractors who present good reputations with proven track records to deliver quality work on time.

   Joe Quinn, executive director of the Arkansas Good Roads Foundation, said the highway-funding bill won 72 out of 75 counties, making the sales tax allotted to road improvements permanent. Construction starts where the most traffic takes place. Quinn said he and others pushed for voter approval because this bill helps keep state roads safe for all drivers. 

   “If voters had not voted in support of this bill, then every county in Arkansas would have lost 30% of its road budget and every city in Arkansas would have lost 30% of its road budget. For instance cities would have lost $46 million for road repairs,” Quinn said.

Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, pushed voter approval for the bill, primarily issue 1 of it and pressed state residents to care about the future safety of their roads and bridges. Newton said the governor’s leadership and the support of stakeholder groups representing all types of Arkansans made for strong voices contributing to the cause.  

“The trucking industry relies on all types of infrastructure throughout the state, which is one of the great things about Issue One. Issue One will help make our state highway system safer by improving over 7,000 miles of roads and repairing dangerous bridges, relieve heavy traffic congestion on highly traveled roads and support over 3,600 jobs annually and provide $8.2 billion in economic activity over 10 years,” Newton said.

Resolution to build tornado safe room in Jonesboro passes

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By Maddison Smith | Aspiring Journalist
Delta Digital News Service

After last year’s tornado ripped through town, the committee has been offered a chance to apply for a grant to help pay for a multi-purpose safe room in Jonesboro. 

“The grant is a 75% to 25% match and it has to be used for tornado, related mitigation expenses,” Chairman Josh Longmire said. “We are eligible for roughly $800,000 so our grant portion is in the neighborhood of $200,000. We could potentially have a million-dollar project.”

For this project, Longmire will be partnering with the East Arkansas Planning and Developing district.  The multi-purpose safe room would also have community rooms or hold Quorum Court. 

The grant money would not only pay for the multi-purpose safe room, but also the Hazard Mitigation Plan for Craighead County, which has to be updated every five years and was last updated in 2017. 

“We have to update that plan to be eligible for other grants like the one today,” Longmire said. 

The committee expressed concerns about the resolution and whether building just one safe room was adequate. Another committee member mentioned possibly upgrading the tornado sirens in Jonesboro with the grant money. 

Other items on the committee’s agenda include: 

  • Tax collection report from Craighead County Tax Collector Wes Eddington 
  • Finance reports from Treasurer Terry McNatt
  • Resolution to endorse Camfil USA, Inc. participation in Tax Back Program; passed 
  • Approval of Clean Up Ordinance for budget year 2020; passed

Prior to the Finance and Administration committee meeting, Quorum Court held their bi-weekly meeting. During the meeting, the court passed a resolution to amend the 2021 annual budget resulting in the loss of funding for two jobs. 

The funds amended included: 

  • Recorder’s cost fund 
  • Child Support cost fund 
  • Circuit Clerk cost fund 

The old budget for the recorder’s cost fund was roughly $1 million and the new amended budget for the cost fund is now $891,128. 

According to Craighead County Judge Marvin Day, this reduction in the budget means two jobs in the Craighead County Circuit Clerk office will no longer be funded. These two jobs include chief deputy held by John Smith and a criminal clerk position, which is currently vacant.

Justice of the Peace Kevin Williams said “We are not elevating the position, we are elevating the funding for that position. That’ll be something Candace Edwards does in her adult professional manner like she said in here the other day.”

Other items on the court’s agenda include: 

  • Ordinance amending 2021 budget to add fund 3553; passes.
  • The court received a check from the City of Bay to pay off part of a debt to the city. 

Maddison Smith is a senior in the multimedia journalism program in The School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. You can follow her on Twitter. She can be contacted at: maddison.smith@smail.astate.edu.