ARDOT awards first of four projects extending I-49 near Fort Smith; 1st phase between Arkansas 22 and Gun Club Road | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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LITTLE ROCK -- The first of four projects to construct the next portion of Interstate 49 between Arkansas 22 in Barling and Interstate 40 in Alma was awarded to Manhattan Road & Bridge for $282.5 million the Arkansas Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

The Department's design consultant is HNTB Corporation.

This first phase of the I-49 Extension will construct a 3.1-mile stretch of I-49 between Arkansas 22 and Gun Club Road in Sebastian County. It is being funded by a combination of regular Federal-aid highway funding, Federal grant funding, Congressionally Designated Spending, and state funds.

"We are eager to begin work on this critical first piece from Highway 22 to Gun Club Road that will include a new bridge over the Arkansas River," ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor stated in the release.

"I-49 is a critical corridor of our nation's transportation system," U.S. Sen. John Boozman stated in the release. "I have long championed investments for this project because it supports economic activity and growth in Arkansas and will help move people and goods more efficiently across the region and country.

"Working with ARDOT and our congressional delegation to secure this funding was a priority, and we are all pleased to see the project coming to fruition," Boozman stated.

The I-49 Extension will help close the 162-mile gap to completion of the nation's mid-south I-49 transcontinental corridor, which will ultimately link the Gulf Coast with the central United States and Canada. This north/south corridor will also connect to six of the nation's existing east/west National Highway Freight Network routes, the release states. The completion of I-49 will enhance international and domestic commerce and improve mobility in the region.

"Fort Smith is the third largest city in Arkansas and continues to be a hub for exciting growth and opportunity," said U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark. "The new bridge that will span the Arkansas River is necessary to relieve congestion from increased traffic and facilitate economic development throughout the region.

"It's a critical piece of the I-49 Extension, and I am excited that the Arkansas Department of Transportation is taking this important step forward in turning this project into reality," Womack stated.

The I-49 Extension is estimated to cost approximately $1.3 billion from design to construction. This 14-mile segment of I-49 from Highway 22 to I-40 between Barling and Alma, just east of Fort Smith, will include a new bridge across the Arkansas River, a major component of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, the release states.

Interchanges will be constructed at Highway 22, Gun Club Road, Clear Creek Road, and I-40. Gun Club Road will be improved to highway standards between future I-49 and Highway 59.

"Interstate 49 has been a major driver of economic growth in Arkansas, and continuing toward the completion of this project will only expand on that success," Gov. Sarah Sanders said in the release. "Arkansas is a transportation and logistics powerhouse because we sit at the center of America's heartland, and I'm proud to work with our state and federal partners to invest in the infrastructure that connects the Natural State with the nation."

State Senators Justin Boyd, R-Fort Smith, and Jim Petty, R-Van Buren, recently facilitated a Joint House and Senate Transportation Committee meeting in Fort Smith to update the membership on the status of Interstate 49.

The members voted unanimously to write a letter of support for the project. "We are thankful to the members for recognizing the importance of this corridor to the region, to the state and to the nation. Investment in our state's infrastructure is vital to the growth of our economy," Boyd and Petty both stated in the release.

"This project, particularly the I-49 Arkansas River bridge, is a significant milestone toward our goal of completing the I-49 corridor from Fort Smith to Texarkana," Arkansas Highway Commissioner Keith Gibson said in the release. "When finished, I-49 will offer a safer and more efficient north-south highway in western Arkansas.

"The convergence of two major interstate highways, I-49 and I-40, in the River Valley will form a crossroads from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast, and from the East Coast to the West Coast with the River Valley as the centerpiece. When combined with the area's major railway systems and waterway transportation opportunities, I-49 will generate significant economic benefits and development not only to the region but to the entire state of Arkansas," Gibson said.

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