Springdale to host public meeting Dec. 12 on Dixieland Road extension

The city of Springdale will host a public meeting to receive feedback on a $5.23 million project to extend Dixieland Road from Apple Blossom Avenue to Wagon Wheel Road.

The meeting will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 12) at Springdale City Hall at 201 Spring St. It will be an open format meeting with no formal presentations, said Ashley Earhart, director of public relations for the city.

A conceptual design of the 1-mile extension of Dixieland Road will be available at the meeting. As part of the project, Hiland Road will be widened from the new segment of Dixieland Road to U.S. Highway 71B. Residents who can’t attend the meeting can submit feedback online until Dec. 19. Link here for a survey on the project.

In July, Springdale City Council hired Garver to complete the design work for the project. It will be paid for with money from the bond issue voters approved in 2018. Nearly $93 million of the $224.7 million bond issue is designated for street improvements.

Brad Baldwin, director of the engineering department, previously said he expects the design to be completed in nine months and construction to start by the second half of 2021. Details on the road, such as the number of lanes needed, will be determined during the design. The conceptual design shows the road will be two lanes with a center turn lane.

After the public meeting, city staff and Garver will collaborate to determine the project details, Earhart said. Public feedback will be considered as they move into preliminary design. The city council does not vote on a final alignment of the road, she said.

Emery Sapp & Sons is working to complete an extension of Dixieland Road in Lowell, from south of Arkansas Highway 265 to Apple Blossom Road. The $4.7 million project is expected to be completed in mid-2020. It will have two lanes with a center turn lane.