Raise Interchange Money At Home, Springdale Officials Told
Last updated Thursday, August 7, 2008 9:15 PM CDT in News
By Doug Thompson
The Morning News
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SPRINGDALE - Springdale needs to raise the estimated $20 million to make an exit off Interstate 540 at Oaklawn Avenue and Don Tyson Parkway if it wants to see that project completed soon, state and federal officials said Thursday.
The federal government won't have significant new taxpayer money for highway projects before 2010 and there's no guarantee for any particular project then, 3rd District Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, told a meeting with city and local officials organized by the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.
"In the next go-round, there's going to be tremendous pressure to spend federal dollars on federal roads and nothing else," Boozman said. "There will be less discretionary money and fewer earmarks."
But I-540 is a federal highway, Springdale council member Jim Reed said.
The proposed exit is a new project, Boozman replied. Funding for already approved federal highway projects is $200 million short now because of declining fuel tax collection and ballooning construction costs, Boozman said. The situation is getting worse, building up a big backlog of unfinished projects before debate on the next federal highway bill in 2010 begins, he said.
Much federal highway spending as far out as 2012 and 2013 will likely go to clear this backlog, he said.
The congressman is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
On the state level, the recent increase of the severance tax for roads will not be enough to pay for state highway needs, said state Highway Commission chairman Jonathan Barnett of Siloam Springs.
Northwest Arkansas alone has $1.9 billion in highway needs, he said. Even when natural gas exploration fully develops and the tax raises the expected $100 million a year or more, the region's share of it will not go far to cover the needs, Barnett said.
Barnett was asked about progress on getting "money to follow the cars," or redistributing state highway funds based on traffic instead of allocating much of the highway money evenly by highway district. Barnett replied that such a redistribution "might get us $15 more million a year" in the region. However, passing such a change seems politically impossible and would have costly political consequences even if it succeeded "unless we increase the size of the pie," he said.
"Every district is short" of money for highway needs whatever its traffic count, Barnett said. "The reality is that no district will have enough to meet its needs without a new source of revenue however you distribute the money."
Without more highway money to work with, "we're not going to win" in an attempt to redistribute highway money, Barnett said. "We're not a majority," he said.
"The bottom line here is Springdale has to put this together," Barnett said of the interchange.
State Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, pledged his support in finding more money for highways. "Roads were the No. 2 or No. 3 issue among voters when I was campaigning" for his first term, Woods said. "It's No. 1 now."
The Springdale chamber has commissioned a study of what the cost of delaying the intersection's construction is costing the city in terms of lost opportunity for development and still-rising construction costs, director Perry Webb said.
The study is expected to be complete in October or November, he said.
Reader Comments (9 comment(s))
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VHugo wrote on Aug 8, 2008 6:33 AM:
tk wrote on Aug 8, 2008 7:22 AM:
Since that road gives better access to Johnson, (if that town continues to exist independantly of Fayetteville and Springdale) they will benefit from the potential comercial growth.
Another way to access the NWA Mall from the northside (possibly siphoning mallrats from Rogers Malls) would benefit Fayetteville too. Springdale's economy is down, why can't these other groups help on the project, in the very least by adding their corporate voices to ask the feds to reconsider. "
jumbojet wrote on Aug 8, 2008 7:53 AM:
jumbojet wrote on Aug 8, 2008 8:02 AM:
carman wrote on Aug 8, 2008 1:49 PM:
ironfortified wrote on Aug 8, 2008 3:20 PM:
carman wrote on Aug 8, 2008 5:44 PM:
WillyBill wrote on Aug 8, 2008 6:51 PM:
Not already registered?
krazo wrote on Aug 8, 2008 3:35 AM: