ARDOT awarded $24.4 million federal grant for Springdale Northern Bypass
by July 16, 2025 4:46 pm 2,811 views
The final phase of the Springdale Northern Bypass from Arkansas Highway 265 to U.S. Highway 412 east of Springdale will receive a $24.46 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to an agency announcement.
On Tuesday (July 15), U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the grant as part of $488 million in awards from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program for 30 projects across the United States.
According to the DOT announcement, more than 800 applications requested more than $10 billion. Awards are capped at $25 million, and projects are selected based on “statutory criteria requiring a comprehensive examination of safety, project readiness and cost effectiveness. Funding is evenly distributed between urban and rural communities, with each receiving $244 million in awards.”
The fourth phase of the Springdale Northern Bypass, or Arkansas Highway 612, is expected to cost $326.22 million, according to the federal awards spreadsheet.
Robert Moore, District 9 engineer for the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), previously said the nearly $1 billion bypass will be over 21 miles long and built in four phases. It comprises a four-lane, interstate-style highway running from U.S. Highway 412 in west Tontitown, wrapping around the north side of Springdale and reconnecting to Highway 412 east of Springdale.
The fourth and final phase runs 6.63 miles, extending from a new interchange at Highway 265 in Springdale to a new interchange at Highway 412 near Blue Springs.
Moore previously said the third phase will be 3 miles, from Interstate 49 to Highway 265, and is expected to cost between $200 million and $250 million. This segment is expected to be ready for construction by the end of this year. Previously, no money was available for the fourth phase.
The second phase is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2027, Moore said.
Former ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor awarded phase two to Columbia, Mo.-based Emery Sapp & Sons Inc. for $180.78 million, the second-largest contract ARDOT has awarded. The nearly 7-mile project will extend Highway 612 from Highway 112 to Highway 412 in Tontitown.
Tudor previously said funding for the second and other bypass phases will come from sales tax revenue from the half-cent sales tax that voters made permanent in 2020. The third phase, from I-49 to Highway 265, is under development, with construction expected to begin in 2026. The fourth phase, from Highway 265 to Highway 412 east of Springdale, is also being developed, and construction is expected to start when money becomes available.
The first phase of the bypass runs from I-49 near Lowell to Arkansas Highway 112 north of Elm Springs. It opened to traffic in April 2018. Eutaw Construction Co. of Aberdeen, Miss., was the contractor.