$1.5B Needed for Road Improvements (Market Forecast)

Transportation Needs
Click here for the chart about the region’s transportation needs. (Lists and charts require Adobe Acrobat viewer. Click here for a free copy.)

As part of the process of preparing the Northwest Arkansas 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan, state and local planners worked to estimate our region’s long-range transportation financial needs and available funding. The figures show that our region’s estimated available funding falls very short of our transportation needs.

The following is a list of major transportation needs for the next 25 years:

State and U.S. highways: The need to widen our region’s state highway system increases with population growth and additional traffic. A long list of highways in need of improvement includes Arkansas Highways 12, 16, 43, 45, 59, 72, 94, 102, 102B, 112, 264, 265 and 279 South (along with U.S. Highways 62, 62B, 71, 71B and 412). The total estimated cost for state and U.S. highway improvements comes to $356 million.

Springdale bypass: The bypass has long been recognized as a high priority regional project. Initial planning for this project began more than 16 years ago. The estimated cost of this project is $300 million. Programmed funds, money in the bank so-to-speak, total $31,211,405 for the Springdale bypass. This leaves a need of $268,788,595.

Siloam Springs Highway 412 Improvements: Potential Highway 412 improvements or a new location bypass for Siloam Springs could be as much as $83 million.

Prairie Grove bypass: A proposed bypass off Highway 62 would cost $26 million.

Bella Vista bypass: This project, with a projected cost of $200 million, has $37 million in programmed funds. This leaves a $163 million shortfall.

Local and regional classified roads: By “classified,” we mean roads that are classified as collectors, minor arterials or principal arterials. Estimated cost of improving these roads comes to $252,203,000.

Interstate 540 improvements: Given average traffic counts on I-540 of more than 50,000 per day, the need for improving this highway is extremely evident. A study that proposed 10 major interchange improvements along with widening from the existing four lanes to six and eight lanes in various places would cost $377 million.

A Northwest Arkansas western beltway: As the region continues to grow, elected officials, planners and citizens foresee a growing need for a western beltway that would start from the proposed Bella Vista bypass running south past the western side of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and connect to I-540 near Greenland. A very rough estimate for this facility would cost $400 million.

Summary

All of these projects add up to $1,994,203,000 in transportation needs over the next 25 years.

On the estimated available funding side, our region can tap into several pots of money depending on the type of transportation project. For our national highway system, planners estimate that we have $141,579,000 that can be applied to projects such as I-540 and the Springdale bypass. For local and regional classified roads, we will have approximately $93,836,000 over the next 25 years. For state highways, we will have an estimated $149,500,000. These figures include the 20 percent matching funds that our local and state governments must match with federal dollars. These amounts, along with $68,211,405 of committed funding for the Springdale and Bella Vista bypasses, add up to $453,126,655.

The bottom line is that we have a little more than $453 million to meet nearly $2 billion in transportation needs over the next 25 years. With this funding outlook, public officials must make some very important decisions as they establish transportation project priorities. This also means that the region will need to investigate other potential funding sources such as the possibility of tolling the Bella Vista bypass.

The ABCs of MPOs

A basic planning activity of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is its function as a metropolitan planning organization. Each governmental unit and transportation agency in the metropolitan portion of the Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers metropolitan statistical area can participate in transportation planning. This is done by executing letters of agreement to participate between the entity and NWARPC, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department and the Federal Highway Administration. The participants appoint people to represent their entity in the planning process. These appointments are usually made by the mayor, county judge or chief executive official.

The MPO has a technical advisory committee and a policy committee. The TAC develops the technical aspects of plans and reports and makes recommendations to the policy committee. TAC members are usually professionals who are involved in the technical side of transportation. The policy committee members make the MPO’s final decisions.

These committees make up the Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study. Three documents are the principal NARTS products: the Unified Planning Work Program, which is produced each year; the Transportation Improvement Program every two years; and the Long Range Regional Transportation Plan, which is to be updated every five years.

The Unified Planning Work Program outlines the MPO’s annual work activities. In this document, the TAC and policy committee reviews and approves projects to submit to AHTD for final approval.

The Transportation Improvement Program contains all commitments for state and federal transportation funding for a three-year period in the metro area. In developing the TIP, the TAC and policy committee review projects submitted by cities, counties, citizens and transit providers within the Metro Area. This review also includes representatives from the AHTD and FHWA. After discussion, the TAC prioritizes the projects and recommends a three-year listing to the policy committee for approval.

No Federal expenditures can be made on transportation facilities within the NARTS Metro Area unless they are listed in the TIP. The TIP is a major tool for shaping the region’s transportation system.

The current long-range plan is the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan for Metropolitan Northwest Arkansas. This plan provides a long range, comprehensive look at the Region’s transportation needs and implementation strategies considering financial constraints.