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Following its Thursday afternoon meeting on replacing the bridge over Hicks Creek on E. 9th Street/Highway 5 at Eastside Baptist Church, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) has announced that it will be seeking public comment on the matter before beginning its project in later 2023.
The project is expected run between 18 and 24 months. Final costs for the project will be determined after bids have been submitted by contractors, with bids being awarded in November of next year.
An informational video has been posted below.
Dating back to 1929, the Hicks Creek bridge is expected to be replaced by a series of box culverts instead of a traditional bridge, which will be able to support the expansion of highway into a three lane road with sidewalks after the City of Mountain Home gains control of the highway towards the projects completion.
Each lane for the road is expected to be 11 feet across, including a dedicated 11 foot turn lane. Three feet of solid sod will lie on either side of the road, before it transitions into a five foot sidewalk. The entire project should run around 586 feet in length.
A fourth lane will become a dedicated right turn lane onto S. Cardinal Drive from Highway 5. The right turn lane will also be 11 feet in width.
The City of Mountain Home has already made moves to hire more workers and equipment to facilitate the expansion of the road following last week’s City Council meeting.
Once the project receives a greenlight, work will start at the intersection of E. 9th Street/Highway 5 and S. Cardinal Drive. Road work will end near Ultimate Car Wash. Two lanes of traffic are expected to be open during construction, with the dedicated turn lane onto S. Cardinal Drive being used to alleviate early morning traffic as residents head to work.
If residents wish to comment on the project, they can expect to answer a series of questions including if they feel that the bridge needs to be replaced, if the project will have an impact on their property, public proposals to make the project better, and if properties within the vicinity of construction could potentially impede work due to their designs.
ARDOT is also seeking public information on any environmental concerns residents may have, such as endangerment to at-risk species. They are also seeking comments on historical sites, family cemeteries and archaeological sites that may be impacted by construction.
To download a copy of the comment form, click this link. You can submit your written comments at the in-person meeting on September 22, 2022 by email, or you can mail your completed comment form to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Environmental Division, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-2261 by October 6, 2022. You may also submit your comments online here, no paper required.
For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact the Environmental Public Involvement Section by email or contact Ruby Jordan-Johnson, Section Head – Public Involvement, by email or by phone at (501) 569-2379.
The comment period for this Hicks Creek Bridge project closes on Oct. 6.
