Study to Look at Northwest Railroad

Matthew Griffith, a designer at the University of Arkansas’ School of Architecture, said he plans to study the feasibility of a light-rail system that would connect Fayetteville to the headquarters of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville about 30 miles to the north.

But first, Griffith, a project director at the UA’s Community Design Center, has to get funding. He said such a study could cost between $1 million and $1.5 million, but he believes federal funding will be available for the project.

A similar rail system recently completed in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., cost about $23 million per mile, but a CDC white paper submitted to the UA said a system for Northwest Arkansas would cost less because land is cheaper, there are fewer active freight lines and “fewer conflicts with surface streets.”

“Since Arkansas & Missouri Railroad is a willing partner and an experienced heavy gauge rail operator, no property acquisition costs and minimal retrofit expenses would be incurred,” the white paper stated.

Northwest Arkansas would be a prime location for such a rail system because it could parallel the Interstate 540 corridor, Griffith said. That would provide an easy, fast commute for people who live in Fayetteville and work in Benton County or vice versa.

Griffith won the Boston Society of Architect’s Unbuilt Design Award this year for a redevelopment project in crime-plagued North Camden, N.J.

Last year, the award went to Stephen Luoni, director of the UA’s Community Design Center.