Connect NWA to show proposed routes for 10-year transit plan

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 671 views 

Connect Northwest Arkansas, the group leading the development of a 10-year transit plan for the region, plans to host two events to show the proposed route recommendations in the plan and receive feedback on them.

The first event will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at Rogers Public Library at 711 S. Dixieland Road in Rogers. Another will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at Fayetteville Town Center at 15 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville.

The public is invited to attend one of the open house events to learn about the proposed route recommendations. The routes are expected to “help improve connectivity, get (Northwest) Arkansas transit-ready and save the community time,” according to a news release.

Staff will be at the meetings to talk about the recommendations, show attendees the difference between existing service and the proposed changes in terms of travel time and provide a survey to receive feedback on the recommendations.

Connect Northwest Arkansas recently launched an online survey to receive feedback on the 10-year transit plan and hosted nine presentations on the plan in April.

Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission on Dec. 21 hired Alliance Transportation Group of Austin, Texas, to complete the plan. The $279,579 contract for the work will be paid for with federal funding. Work on the plan follows a four-part speaker series hosted in 2017 and 2018 by the planning commission. The transit plan will build on the speaker series and incorporate other recent plans, such as the report consultant KFH Group completed for Springdale-based transit provider Ozark Regional Transit on a bus rapid transit study for U.S. Highway 71B, from Bentonville to Fayetteville.

The 10-year transit plan is expected to be completed in spring 2020.