Northwest Arkansas receives 9 grants for trails, sidewalks

Nine projects in Northwest Arkansas will receive $2.01 million of $11.5 million in federal matching grants for trails and other transportation-related improvements that were recently awarded statewide.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation recently announced the 2021 recipients for its Transportation Alternatives Program and Recreational Trails Program. The previous program supports projects for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized forms of transportation and was authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The latter program is funded through a portion of Transportation Alternatives Program funding set aside for recreational trails.

Money for these projects cannot be used for highway construction, according to federal guidelines. Eligible projects include construction of trails, sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian and bicycle signals, lighting and other safety-related infrastructure. Also eligible is the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors for pedestrian and bicycle trails.

Statewide, 47 Transportation Alternatives Program projects will get $10.3 million, while 12 Recreational Trails Program projects will receive $1.2 million. Following comprise the nine Northwest Arkansas projects:

• $500,000 for Heritage Springs Trail in Benton County
• $20,000 for Active Transportation Route phase one: Commercial District Trailhead in Elkins
• $500,000 for Highway 112 Clabber Creek Trail tunnel in Fayetteville
• $75,000 for Kessler Mountain Trail enhancements in Fayetteville
• $300,000 for Gravette Trail System phase three in Gravette
• $143,000 for sidewalk enhancement project in Mulberry
• $100,000 for Ben Geren Trail system improvements in Sebastian County
• $100,000 for Dean’s Trail phase three in Springdale
• $274,000 for Northridge Drive sidewalk improvements in Van Buren.

The recipients will be reimbursed for the projects through an 80/20 matching grant that provides an 80% federal share and a 20% match from recipients.

For 2021, the Transportation Alternatives Program received 89 applications for funding, while the Recreational Trails Program received 48 applications.