LaHood meeting tentatively set for May 17

The opportunity for regional intermodal officials to meet with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood could come as early as May 17.

A meeting with LaHood was first mentioned during a May 6 meeting between U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and board members of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Authority (RITA).

Mat Pitsch, intermodal project manager for the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District, said Friday that a tentative date of May 17 has been set, with scheduling underway with several members of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Congressional delegations. The meeting would be held in Washington, D.C.

“It’s not locked in, but it’s one of the earliest dates he (LaHood) had open,” Pitsch said.

RITA has an $8 million plan in the works to improve port and rail access in Van Buren and Chaffee Crossing. The plan includes $5 million in federal funds that Lincoln has agreed to seek on behalf of RITA.

RITA was formed in August 2009 with the broad goal to maximize the use of all forms of transportation — rail, barge, air, interstate — so as to reduce shipping costs and increase service options for regional business and industries.

Pitsch reiterated that funding for key portions of Interstate 49 — Bella Vista bypass in Northwest Arkansas and segments between Alma and DeQueen in western Arkansas — would be “part of an agenda we hope to bring to Secretary LaHood.”

The Bella Vista Bypass would connect Arkansas and Missouri with an interstate-quality highway that will eventually be part of I-49. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department submitted in late 2009 a $145 million request to fund the Bella Vista bypass as part of the TIGER — Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery — grant program managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. On Feb. 17 the feds awarded the project $10 million, leaving highway officials uncertain how to use the money on a project requiring at least $350 million to complete.

The I-49 route stretches from Texarkana, up through Dequeen, Mena and Waldron, into Fort Smith and on through Northwest Arkansas. All that stands in the way of this interstate reality is several small segments at the Arkansas-Louisiana and Arkansas Missouri borders and a large 185-mile segment between Texarkana and Fort Smith that posts a price tag of between $3 billion and $4 billion.