DOT awards $25 million to Highway 112 project in NWA

BusinessNorthwest ArkansasTourism / Heritage

by Jeff Della Rosa ([email protected]) ago 0 views 

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission has received a $25 million federal grant to pay for a 12-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail running the length of a $362.91 million project to widen Arkansas Highway 112 between Bentonville and Fayetteville.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the planning commission a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant for fiscal 2025, according to the Friday (Jan. 10) award letter.

Tim Conklin, executive director of Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, said in 2019 area cities agreed Highway 112 should be designed to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. ArDOT incorporated this vision into its Highway 112 improvement plans. The challenge was raising the money to pay for the 17.5-mile paved trail with 6 feet of green space. The grant will cover the expense.

Highway 112 will be widened from two to four lanes. The 17.5-mile project includes a raised center median, 27 roundabouts, a sidewalk along one side of the roadway, and a separated multi-use path on the other side. Construction will begin in 2025 and will be completed in phases. The first phase is expected to be a 1.44-mile segment from Truckers Drive to Howard Nickell Road in Fayetteville, followed by a 3.16-mile segment from Pleasant Grove Road to Arkansas Highway 12 in Bentonville.

“These changes to Highway 112 will help advance the region’s goal of providing transportation choice,” Conklin said. “The corridor improvements include several proven safety countermeasures designed to enhance safety for all roadway users while also reducing travel time and improving reliability.”

He said the 17.5-mile trail, named the Heritage Springs Trail, will connect the trail systems in Bentonville and Fayetteville. He noted that trail components connect to the 40-mile Razorback Greenway and additional communities to the more than 200-mile trail system in Northwest Arkansas, including Cave Springs, Elm Springs and Tontitown. He added that the planning commission approved the NWA Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in 2015 to develop a safe, efficient system.

“This grant validates the progress our region is making toward goals for providing active transportation options and improved connectivity, and it further establishes Northwest Arkansas as a leader in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure planning and implementation,” Conklin said.