GOOD ROADS
The Award-Winning Magazine of the Arkansas Good Roads Foundation
ROADS LEAD TO STRONGER COMMUNITY.
A community’s roads connect us to jobs, healthcare, daily essentials, friends and family — and home. Ergon is proud to provide the materials and support needed to help build and maintain safe roadways across America, connecting us all to what matters most.
Jared Wiley Named ARDOT Director
From roadways to transit networks, we specialize in designing and implementing infrastructure solutions that enhance mobility, promote safety, and support economic growth.
I49 Tunnel and Trail, Bentonville, AR
Executive Board
D.B. Hill, III Secretary/Treasurer Little Rock
Harold Beaver Rogers
JoAnne Bush Lake Village
Mark Hayes Little Rock
Shannon Newton
Robert Moery President Little Rock
Chris Villines Little Rock
Jim Wooten Beebe
Philip Taldo Springdale (Non-Voting Member)
Lance Lamberth Vice President Batesville
Curt Green Texarkana
Graycen Bigger Pocahontas
Jerry Holder Little Rock
2024 Was a Growth Year for Good Roads
Joe Quinn, AGRF Executive Director
It has been a dynamic year for Arkansas Good Roads. In some ways, we are more engaged and visible than the organization has ever been. As the holidays appear on the horizon, the first thing to recognize is that without the support of our members, this work would be impossible. We are not the largest issue organization in Little Rock, but we might be one of the most cohesive. Our members represent different issues within the infrastructure world, but we are all unified by the simple belief that we get more done working together.
This cohesiveness is something we can all be proud of. In an angry, deeply divided political world, we come together not to lobby but to educate Arkansans on the need for quality roads and bridges and to remind people that working together drives economic development and new jobs in rural areas and our cities.
So, what specifically did we do with your membership dues, event sponsorships, and other support this year?
• Good Roads played a significant role in raising $175,000 for ARDOT to build a memorial to over 80 ARDOT workers who have died while working. Other states have had elaborate memorials for years, while Arkansas honored these deceased workers with a modest display of orange cones. Building a meaningful monument is a personal and emotional issue for a department full of people who knew and cared about these deceased employees.
• We hosted our third summer policy meeting. The two-day event in Mountain Home featured a social event that allowed local leaders to have some face-to-face time with highway commissioners and ARDOT leadership. Atlas Asphalt put on an incredible event to show how
asphalt is made, including a dynamite blast in a quarry to show how raw material for the process is created. The second day featured an economic development breakfast with local companies and then a policy meeting that focused on the future of Highway 412. Getting everyone out of Little Rock to focus on a specific region and community has become a popular part of the ARDOT annual calendar.
• The national SASHTO Summer Meeting was hosted by ARDOT in Rogers in August. Good Roads played a role in the effort by publishing a special edition of our Good Roads Magazine that was placed in the registration bags given to 1,400 people who came to the meeting from 13 states. It was excellent exposure for Good Roads that led to at least two new members joining, and the magazine was a chance to show other states the unique work that ARDOT has done in recent years.
• Another big piece of our success this year is how the 13 Good Roads Executive Board members are day-to-day ambassadors of our brand and always willing to tell the infrastructure development story in the media, at trade association gatherings, at the state capitol, and in personal conversations with influencers. More than ever, our board is a fully engaged group at the heart of who and what we are.
With a strong year behind us, we are strategically looking ahead to 2025. Some of the critical issues we will be discussing include:
• Work will continue on the new I-55 bridge in Memphis, a massive project managed jointly by Arkansas and Tennessee.
• Work will continue to escalate on the I-49 expansion from Alma to Barling.
• I-57 has now reached a point where you will start to see the official federal highway “shield” signs designating the route as I-57. This is a significant moment for any project.
• All Good Roads members will continue the never-ending search for a quality workforce. With $3.8 billion in federal infrastructure money being spent in Arkansas and the funding from the Issue 1 passage, a significant amount of revenue for infrastructure jobs is available. The challenge our
Executive Director’s Message
members now face is finding the workforce they need to do the work. All our private sector friends are dealing with complex workforce development issues.
• In 2025, Good Roads will roll out a much needed and long planned new membership dues structure. After years of many members paying various levels of membership dues, we are putting a system in place that will make it easier to show potential members what we offer and what it will cost to join at a specific level. While our board works on strategic planning for the public facing side of our mission, we continue the effort to update and modernize how we structure internal day-to-day work.
Thank you again for what you do to help Good Roads grow and thrive. My personal observation about our work together is that people who build, repair, design, fund, or put cargo on our roads respect each other and are always willing to partner for the good of all of us.
That is rare in the world we are living in, and speaking on behalf of our members and board, I want to thank you for what you do.
Have a wonderful holiday season…and as always, put that phone down when you are driving.
Friday, June 21, was no ordinary day off for District 7 Maintenance aide Silas Compton.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m., he was picking up medications for his wife at a pharmacy next door to The Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce when he noticed something was off.
He witnessed a man walking into the grocery store with a shotgun and extra ammunition strapped to his body. Compton followed him inside and watched in horror as the man opened fire on innocent people. He yelled out to the man to stop, and that’s when the gunman turned the shotgun on him.
“I could see the cash register people on the floor and whimpering, and so I yelled at him again, ‘STOP!’ I ducked down when he fired at me, and I guess that’s what saved my life,” Compton said.
Compton was hit with several shotgun pellets. He suffered wounds to his head and upper body, with one
fragment lodged next to his spine. Doctors are closely monitoring that wound because any surgery near the spine can be extremely dangerous.
Despite his injuries, Compton returned outside and warned to stay out of the store. He collapsed at a business next door. The last thing he remembers is officers assisting him as he faded in and out of consciousness.
Compton is being hailed as a hero for distracting the gunman and warning others to stay away, but he quickly dismisses that notion.
“In my opinion, another guy is the real hero in the deal. His name is Roy Sturgis, and I’ve known him for years. He tried to talk the guy down, but he was shot too,” Compton said.
Sturgis drove himself to the hospital, where he later passed away. He is one of four fatalities from that day. Compton was taken to the trauma unit at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock. As doctors continue to evaluate
his wounds, he knows that the road to recovery will not be easy.
Released from the hospital on Monday, July 8, Compton is currently undergoing therapy and has already made some encouraging progress. Following the shooting, he has received an outpouring of support from friends, family, coworkers, and the entire ARDOT leadership team.
“We are so proud to call Silas a member of the ARDOT family. The bravery he showed during the tragic event in Fordyce is a testament to his character. He is a humble hero who is an inspiration to us all,” ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor said.
One of Compton’s closest friends, fellow District 7 ARDOT employee Myla Rawls, experienced a wide range of emotions upon hearing the news.
“I felt so heartbroken and emotional all the way to the emergency room,” Rawls said. “Everything was so vague about what happened during the shooting, and I didn’t know if he was alive at the time – or how many other lives were lost.”
Compton’s supervisor, District 7 Engineer David
ARDOT Employee Hailed as Hero
Archer, said he is not surprised that Compton would emerge as a hero in a chaotic situation.
“Silas is the kind of person who would do anything for anybody. He would give you the shirt off of his back. He does not stand back and watch but gets involved with whatever happens. It is not surprising he would see a need in a grocery store and help even though he was walking into a very dangerous situation,” Archer said. “If someone is in need, he is going to jump in and help. That is simply the kind of man he is.”
The people of Fordyce and neighboring communities have rallied around Compton and the families of the victims through local fundraisers.
District 7 employees have also raised funds to provide support for friends and family who were impacted on that tragic day.
“It has really been amazing to watch and see how, in the midst of evil and tragedy, there are still so many hearts full of goodness and love that will still sacrifice to stop a shooter and help a neighbor in need,” Archer added.
(Reprinted with permission from ARDOT.)
Keeping Traffic Moving in Winter Weather
Winter Weather Preparation is a Year-Round Job
by Deborah Horn
For years, Chris Hendricks drove daily from his home in Searcy to his job as Facilities Maintenance Manager at Dassault Falcon Jet LLC in Little Rock and back. It’s usually an hour’s drive one way, but one of his wintery return trips proved much longer. Hendricks remembered, “I was stuck on Interstate 440 where it merges onto 67/167, we call it the Beanfield, and there were several vehicles in front of me.”
A sheet of ice covered the road, and because of this, Hendricks said an Arkansas State Trooper had the road blocked to allow an Arkansas Department of
Transportation (ARDOT) truck to apply salt brine to the road’s surface. Hendricks was driving a four-wheel drive truck but noted that it was useless on ice. It was so slick; he recalled, “There was a little grade to the offramp, causing the officer on foot to slide across the highway for about 20 feet.”
Hendricks said, “A salt truck would spray in front of a single vehicle. It would melt the area before it, and then the officer would let that one driver through.” It was an extremely slow go. “I got excited when they got to me, but the truck ran out of salt. There was not
ARDOT maintenance crews participate in winter weather preparedness drills each fall. This allows the department to train new operators by driving assigned winter weather routes and conducting snow plow training, such as pictured above.
another truck available, so I had to wait about an hour and a half until the truck returned, picked up more salt, and returned,” he said.
Fortunately, Hendricks had plenty of gas and patience, because it took nearly three hours to arrive home that night.
Shifting Gears
In early December 2013, ARDOT took a hit for its response to a winter storm that blanketed much of Arkansas’s roads with freezing rain, sleet, and snow. Traffic movement was complex, even impossible in some regions, and the winter storm left highway department crews working around the clock. ARDOT received many phone calls from state residents, elected officials, and the media.
This single event prompted a major revamp in the ARDOT strategy to prepare for winter weather. People like Chris Hendricks have noticed, “We do a lot of snow clearing where I work at Falcon Jet.” He noted that there have been several “pretty good snows” in
recent memory, but added, “In the last few years, the highway department has done a much better job of keeping the roads clear, and I don’t see the same number of weather delays as in the past.”
From Salt Brine to AI
In a recent conversation, Deric Wyatt, ARDOT State Maintenance Engineer, discussed the process and procedures his department follows before the start of the winter storm season. He described most predicted storms as a “wait-and-see game,” adding, “We are as proactive as possible and get equipment and staff in place where they will be needed.”
AGRF: What are the key steps ARDOT takes to prepare for winter weather each season?
DW: Each fall, the maintenance crews conduct winter weather preparedness drills. These drills allow us to train new operators by driving assigned winter weather routes, conducting snowplow simulator training,
Winter Weather
installing plows and spreaders for test operations, calibrating spreaders and brine tankers for proper material application rates, reviewing priority routes, testing the ARDOT radio network, and reporting winter weather route conditions for IDriveArkansas.
We advertise bids to refill our salt storage facilities during the summer months, well before the winter weather season starts. Before the cold weather arrives, they are at 100 percent capacity for the upcoming winter season.
AGRF: What technology does ARDOT use to monitor and respond to road conditions before or during winter storms?
DW: ARDOT uses several forms of technology to assist with our planning and response to wintry precipitation. We subscribe to a weather forecasting service, DTN, which provides customized road weather forecasts, and we also utilize the National Weather Service and local TV stations.
We use a Road Weather Information System (RWIS)
comprised of Weather Sensor Stations mounted on around 36 bridge structures across the state and 10 Mobile Weather Sensors (MARWIS) truck-mounted and operated by the District Staff. These weather stations report air temperature, pavement temperature, and the presence of liquid or frozen moisture on bridge decks and pavement.
Technology also plays a more significant role in our operations. It documents our activities and provides real-time data and feedback to make needed changes timelier, keeping traffic moving and clearing our roadways as quickly as possible.
AGRF: How does ARDOT coordinate with local agencies and municipalities during winter storms?
DW: Our Traffic Management Center (TMC) works closely with Arkansas Highway Police and Arkansas State Police (ASP) to respond to interstate traffic issues. ARDOT Districts work closely with the local ASP Troop Headquarters, local agencies, and municipalities during winter weather events to keep traffic moving on the primary highways and maintain
access to emergency services and hospitals. We work to maintain these relationships and points of contact throughout the year.
AGRF: How does ARDOT communicate road conditions and closures to the public during winter storms?
DW: The ARDOT Maintenance Staff reports road conditions to the public through our winter weather map layer on IDriveArkansas. The road conditions are updated every two hours until the route is reported as clear. We also provide nearly 400 live traffic cameras across the state through IDriveArkansas, which the public can use to see current road conditions.
AGRF: What advice do you have for motorists to stay safe during winter weather?
DW: If you must get out during a winter weather
event, plan additional time for your trip and drive at an appropriate speed for the road conditions. One of our biggest requests is that drivers give our equipment operators plenty of space to clear the roadways and apply deicing materials before and during a winter storm.
Winter Weather
AGRF: What are the procedures for applying salt and other de-icing materials on roads?
DW: We monitor the weather forecasts closely to determine the type of material to be applied as a pre-treatment, the application rate, and the timing for placement before a winter weather event. Pretreatment is like spraying PAM on a frying pan and helps prevent snow/ice from bonding to the pavement.
However, if it begins as rain and transitions to snow or ice, this limits the effectiveness of pretreating with salt brine as it washes it off the roadway. If an event starts as rain, we monitor the pavement temperatures. We pretreat the surface with rock salt just as the pavement temperatures begin to reach the freezing point. During a winter weather event, the type and intensity of precipitation and air temperatures determine the material application rate used.
AGRF: How much salt does ARDOT stockpile for winter weather, and where is it stored?
DW: ARDOT stores approximately 75,000 cubic yards (CUYD) of salt at barns across the state.
Each district has a fiscal year operating budget; for example, the state’s northern districts typically use more salt than the rest. However, statewide, we spend approximately $10 million yearly for the needed pretreatment and deicing products. As de-icing material costs continue to increase, we are always looking for more efficient and effective ways to use more liquids for de-icing during and after an event.
AGRF: How many snowplows does ARDOT currently operate, and how are they maintained?
DW: ARDOT has approximately 600 snowplows at our County Maintenance Headquarters and District Offices. These are stored in the maintenance yards for nine months out of the year. In the fall, crews test the electrical connections, hydraulics, and lights and determine the plow’s remaining blade life. At the end of the winter season, these are cleaned to remove residual salt, painted when needed to minimize rust, lubricated, and stored for the next winter season.
AGRF: What are some of the biggest challenges ARDOT faces during severe winter weather events?
DW: The length and severity of a winter weather event are typically our biggest challenges. If an event continues for several days, we often experience equipment breakdowns, and staff begin to tire after two to three days of 12-hour shifts.
When one event is followed by subsequent events within a short timeframe, it limits the time we have to repair equipment and replenish material stockpiles. In recent years, several Arctic blasts have brought with them frigid temperatures at or below zero degrees. Sub Zero-degree temperatures at night significantly reduce the effectiveness of our deicing materials, which results in snow and ice bonding to the pavement. Often, we have to wait for a bit of sunshine to help with the melting process to resume our clearing operations.
Frigid temperatures and frozen precipitation that bond to the road’s surface often accelerate the wear and tear on our equipment and damage the pavement.
AGRF:
What steps are taken after the storm?
DW: Every winter weather event is different from previous events in some way. So, we conduct afteraction reviews to discuss what worked well and what didn’t so that we can make the necessary adjustments for the next event.
Over the past few years, we have invested in more snow and ice equipment and material storage capacity to help us clear roadways faster and reduce impacts on the traveling public. We have also participated in peer exchanges with the neighboring states that deal with winter weather more often than we do to learn what works best for them to keep roadways clear that we can implement in Arkansas.
The next time you slowly navigate an icy patch of road on a cold February morning, remember that the planning to keep you safe on that drive was underway the previous July.
Women of Asphalt
Women of Arkansas Asphalt A
New Generation of Leaders
by Deborah Horn
For Ann Cash of Lake Village, it was all about roads, bridges, and waterways. The farmer was determined to improve the quality of life and the economic development future of all of Arkansas, but in particular, Southeast Arkansas. Before her June 19, 2022 death, Cash fought for nearly a quarter century for the reconstruction and widening of U.S. Hwy. 65 from Little Rock to the Mississippi border, and at one point, served as the Highway 65 Four-Lane Association’s president.
She also served on the Arkansas Good Roads Executive Board and other boards, such as the Arkansas Agricultural Board and the Natural Resources Commission, as executive director for the Boeuf-Tensas (bayou) Project, and as vice president for the Arkansas-Mississippi Great River Bridge Association at one point.
Cash worked with political figures like Mike Ross, Bill Clinton, Frank White, Jim Guy Tucker, Mike Huckabee, and Mike Beebe. Her male peers considered her a highway expert for much of her adult life. She was often the lone female voice in the room.
Shifting Lanes
From private concerns to public agencies, what was once considered a male domain is shifting, and women are quickly climbing the ladder to the top. In early 2020, Lorie Tudor was named the ARDOT Director. Arkansas’s first female director and one of fewer than a dozen women who have led state transportation departments nationally. Tudor was awarded the Associated General Contractors of Arkansas Skill,
Integrity, Responsibility Award in November. It’s not an automatic annual award; it’s only awarded to individuals deemed worthy of the recognition.
That same year, thenGov. Asa Hutchinson named Marie Holder to the Arkansas State Highway Commission. She is currently the only female member.
Under Keli Wylie, named ARDOT’s Assistant Chief Engineer of Program Delivery in 2023, the department has completed its $2 billion Connecting Arkansas Program, which included the Big Rock Interchange. CAP was the state’s most extensive multi-project program to date, and now she is Project Director for 30 Crossing, which rebuilds, redesigns, and widens Interstate 30 from I-40 to the north to the 30, 440, and 530 interchange to the south.
Alicia L. Hunt, ARDOT Human Resources Division Head, said that from 2019 through 2024, “The most notable growth was that the number of women in administrative roles has increased by 3.4 percent.” Those include their top-level executive positions from Division Heads through the Director. Hunt added, “We’ve also seen an overall increase in women in supervisory roles of 1.3 percent during that period.”
ARDOT Director
Lorie Tudor
Highway Commissioner
Marie Holder
Keli Wylie (ARDOT)
Women of Asphalt
The Private Sector
As more women fill the ranks of ARDOT, their influence is being felt beyond state government. According to Arkansas Asphalt Pavement Association records, 16 women attended their Annual Conference in 2011; that number grew to 35 in 2024. This reflects an increasing number of women throughout the industry.
Although not always visible to outsiders, Katie Russell, Rogers Group Inc. Construction Accountant and Women of Asphalt Chair, said, “There are more women in the asphalt industry…Their numbers are growing.” Her organization has about 140 members, and more than half are women. The industry employs women in all sectors, from operating field equipment to project managers and estimators, as well as administrative and other roles such as accounts payable and receivables. It’s fast-expanding. While there are plenty of career opportunities, it’s often overlooked as a possibility. Russell said, “For generations, you were told you had to attend college to get a good-paying job. That’s no longer true.”
Courtney Quinn
Courtney Quinn didn’t start as an HR Generalist for Delta Companies, Inc. Instead, she worked in retail pharmacy throughout high school and college. She was studying to become a pharmacist, but then life happened and interrupted her plans. Still, she completed her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary degree with an emphasis in Chemistry, Psychology, and Health from Arkansas State University. Quinn said, “I had seen an opening for HR at Delta
Companies, and I applied on a whim. Little did I know that applying to that position due to needing benefits would land me on the career path that I’ve been on since 2018.” Delta is part of the Colas Company. Delta operates in Arkansas and Missouri, and Quinn’s home base is in Paragould. They have about 200 employees in Missouri and about 130 in Arkansas. Quinn is happy with her career and feels valued as an employee while earning a substantial paycheck.
Like many others in the asphalt and asphalt construction industry, the road forward is shifting, and Quinn’s role in HR gives her a unique perspective. She said, “Construction has always been maledominated and not advertised as a career women could pursue.” In the last few years, she’s witnessed hiring adjustments born out of company policy changes and necessity.
“Girls are growing up with the message that you can do anything. You can drive a truck, or you work in management.” The STEM-based track, now standard in our educational system, is having an impact. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and is a standard in many schools.
“Our company wants to promote women, with a goal of 20 percent of management made up of women.
Katie Russell (Rogers Group)
That is also the goal in operations, support staff, and other positions,” Quinn said. They’ve already filled positions such as construction manager, controller, and more with women, and they’re working toward getting more work at the decision-making tables.
Additionally, Colas invests in its staff through education, training, and opportunities. Modern equipment often requires an employee to know GPS, apps, and computer programs. There is an everincreasing reliance on AI (artificial intelligence), shifting the emphasis from brute strength to brains.
“We’re pivoting to an industry that needs a person with some computer skills who can be turned into someone with highly-trained skills,” Quinn said. In addition, the increased use of technology in the industry will not slow down in the foreseeable future. For example, specialty robots can draw white lines on the highway, and there are GPS-driven pavers. Quinn said, “It’s wild, but many of the newer technologies are making our jobs easier and safer.”
As the industry works to recruit young women and men to fill the employee shortages, in part created by the ranks of the retiring Baby Boomers—making up as much as 45 percent of the industry currently—
Women of Asphalt
and the sector incorporates more technology into its everyday work, from road designs and mixes to heavy equipment and plant and operators, Quinn said, the industry is diversifying. Many are realizing “that women are as capable as men.”
Better Pay and Benefits Matter
Guy Washburn, PE, Cranford Construction’s General Manager, said his company, in recent years, had to rethink its hiring and retention strategies because of employee shortages. The company now offers better pay and benefits and thinks differently about who they interview as potential employees. Like an increasing number of other companies, Cranford employs women both in the office and the field. Currently, they have two traffic operators, one roller operator, and two women inside, including an administrator and an office manager who handle payables, cost accounting, and more.
Of course, the industry includes many learnwhile-you-work positions, and the bigger paycheck and benefits attract both men and women like Tori Beck, a boom operator from Searcy. She wanted a bigger, more dependable paycheck and a chance for advancement. Washburn says he doesn’t have to think twice about hiring good people like Beck, “We hire the most qualified people.”
Both Russell and Washburn said they now see more woman-owned asphalt-related companies. Washburn said his company often deals with Curb Time Solutions, LLC of Dardanelle, owned by Hannah Bowden. There are other companies, including asphalt paving and trucking companies, with which Cranford contracts on specific jobs. It’s becoming more common, and, he added, a second-generation run company often means the daughter took over or is involved in the business.
Hannah Bowden
Bowden grew up in construction. Her parents own Bowden Specialties Inc. in Russellville, and although there were plans for her to go to college, and she did for a while, Bowden decided it wasn’t for her. She’s not interested in sitting in an office but instead likes being outdoors on job sites. So, in 2017,
Women of Asphalt
she bought Curb Time Solutions, LLC in Dardanelle and is now its owner and President. They specialize in small parking lots, turns, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. In addition to Cranford, they contract with other commercial asphalt and residential companies, as well as ARDOT.
She can handle the large equipment and the screw and code machines. Bowden added, “I do the bids, oversee the work, talk to customers.” Although she’s often asked, ‘Where’s the guy going to give me the estimate?’ Bowden said, and she replied, “I’m the guy.” While she still encounters men who think women can’t do the job, “That’s changing.”
She’s always willing to give another woman a chance, most often starting that person as a flagger. The work pays well and offers better benefits than many other entry-level jobs, but Bowden said that to make it in this business, “You have to be willing to put yourself out there and work hard. Like the guys, you have to prove yourself.”
Role Models for Woman Leaders
Russell said, “One aspect that sets the Arkansas
asphalt industry apart is its commitment to the community. This extends to equal job opportunities for all, regardless of race or gender. Still, as women, we have to demonstrate we can do the job, and the people around you want to know if you’re a hard worker and capable.”
Highway Commissioner Marie Holder added, “While there are an increasing number of women in the asphalt industry, many women have had to look outside their local communities to find a group of their peers.” Arkansas Good Roads and AAPA provide an excellent network for all stakeholders, but other more specialized groups are within their umbrella. For example, Women of Asphalt is geared toward women working in this industry and provides a statewide perspective. This nonprofit organization is an essential resource for education opportunities, recruitment, and retention in the asphalt industry and Arkansas STEM careers.
Holder added, “They create a space for women to share experiences, to problem solve, and connect. Women of Asphalt lives up to its mission—to lead and inspire.”
Bridging the gap between idea + achievement
hdrinc.com
Transition at ARDOT
Jared Wiley Named New ARDOT Director
There may have never been a week like it at ARDOT. On December 3, city leaders and ARDOT officials gathered in the Clinton Library Museum parking lot to celebrate the largest road construction project in Arkansas history; a short time later, ARDOT announced that Director Lorie Tudor would retire in January.
As speculation began about who the Arkansas Highway Commission would select as the next director, it was worth noting that in the past 52 years, there have only been five ARDOT directors. It’s challenging to think of any public or private sector organization with an average leadership span of ten years.
Tudor was smiling and relaxed at the parking lot news conference to discuss the completion of the 30 Crossing Project in the heart of Little Rock. More than 120,000 vehicles use the major roads over the Arkansas River daily, which will only grow in the years ahead. The massive 30 Crossing Project was completed almost six months ahead of schedule and is an example of a seamless integration of design and building strategies. The cold, crisp day was a highlight of Lorie Tudor’s career.
Commission Chairman. Farmer accepted gifts from friends and colleagues with his daughters and wife beside him. He is a softspoken and kind leader who guided the commission through good and hard days with a steady hand. His father was on the highway commission years ago, so this work is a family tradition. Few families have contributed as much to Northeast Arkansas as the Farmers.
The morning after the Farmer going-away celebration, the commission members gathered for a regularly scheduled meeting and went into executive session. They emerged to announce that Jared Wiley would become ARDOT’s sixth director in 52 years.
Wiley started at ARDOT as an intern in 2005, and as his new role was announced, it was clear he would continue the tradition of thoughtful, unassuming leadership.
A few hours later, the commissioners gathered for a dinner to recognize Alec Farmer of Jonesboro and thank him for his steady leadership as Highway
“I am humbled and honored by the trust the Commission has shown me. I commit to building on the legacy of cooperation and collaboration established by my mentor, Director Tudor. She has taught me and our staff many things over her 41-year career.
ARDOT is blessed with a great staff of dedicated
public servants. The entire ARDOT team will continue to work diligently to improve Arkansas’ transportation systems’ safety, efficiency, and reliability,” said Wiley.
Wiley began at ARDOT as a Planning and Research Division civil engineer. Following an engineering career path, he advanced through several positions in the Planning Branch, where he oversaw the Department’s traffic count and roadway inventory programs before becoming a Consultant Coordinator in the Deputy Director and Chief Engineer’s office in July 2013.
Wiley was promoted to Assistant Division Head of the Transportation Planning and Policy Division in January 2014 and then to Division Head of Program Management in May 2015. In April 2020, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Engineer for Planning. From there, he moved into his current position of Chief Engineer for Preconstruction in April 2023.
For Wiley and his team, 2025 will be a vibrant year. It will start with a legislative session as work continues on the I-49 expansion from Alma to
Barling, a new bridge over the Mississippi River, the completion of 30 Crossing, the dedication of a memorial to ARDOT employees who died while working, and the ongoing effort to make work zones safer for workers.
With Alec Farmer’s departure from the highway commission, Philip Taldo will take over as Chairman, and Keith Gibson of Fort Smith will serve as Vice Chairman. In January, Governor Sanders will announce who will succeed Alec Farmer on the commission.
At the same time, after Wiley moves into the corner office in January, one of his first personnel decisions will be who replaces him as Chief Engineer for Preconstruction.
To say the least, this is a transitional time at the department, but the culture and mission stay the same as the state continues to reap the benefits of $3.8 billion in federal road funding and the continuation of in-state funding made possible by the passage of Issue 1 in 2020.
I-30 Crossing at Little Rock.
AGRF Summer Policy Meeting
Mountain Home, Arkansas
This year, the Good Roads 2024 Summer Policy Meeting was in Mountain Home in September. It was a chance for local leaders, the Arkansas Highway Commission, and ARDOT leadership to discuss infrastructure policy, job creation, and local highway issues. The policy discussion was held at the beautiful ASU Mountain Home campus.
The highlight of the event for many was the chance to see how asphalt is made. Good Roads member Atlas Asphalt has a quarry and production operation at Mountain Home and showed our members how
a dynamite blast in the quarry is the initial step in creating the raw material for asphalt.
We all spend a lot of time talking about infrastructure development issues and job creation, but seeing firsthand the issues a company like Atlas deals with was a great addition to the summer meeting.
The day was also a reminder that all of our Good Roads member companies are creating well-paying jobs and driving local economies every single day. We will let you know where our 2025 summer meeting will be held.
Mountain Home Meeting Sponsors
2024 Good Roads annual MeetinG
Thoughtful Communication Strategy Matters More Than Ever
by Joe Quinn, Executive Director
Several speakers touched on similar communication and policy themes at the Good Roads Annual Meeting in Little Rock in November. All reminded the audience that our members and anyone involved in the infrastructure world in Arkansas must communicate continuously with elected officials. They also pointed out that if any organization waits until a “crisis” moment to start trying to be heard, it generally doesn’t accomplish much.
Groundwork is laid by any successful group long before the busy first day of a legislative session. Elected officials who have heard from you throughout the year are much more likely to listen thoughtfully, as opposed to a situation where you are cold-calling someone you have never met. It’s been a successful couple of years for the infrastructure community in Arkansas, partly because we have been routinely doing what our speakers suggested.
An effective communication strategy should involve multiple people and organizations respectfully communicating why our issues matter year-round. Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton urged the audience to keep close track of the flow
of legislation. She pointed out that potential new laws that could impact business are often discussed over time, but most people don’t follow the real impact until a bill is introduced. Newton certainly wasn’t saying every bill has a negative effect, but she urged fellow Good Roads members to pay closer attention and engage earlier.
Arkansas House of Representatives Speaker Designate Rep. Brian Evans also spoke at the meeting. He is a respected and well-liked freight company president and clearly understands the transportation, freight, and road issues that Good Roads members are dealing with as 2025 approaches. Newton warmly introduced Evans and called him “one of us” and someone who understands the challenges of people who design, build, finance, and carry freight on our roads.
Evans closed his presentation by telling the crowd that lawmakers always want accurate and thoughtful input. Knowing how their community, friends, and neighbors feel about any issue helps them form opinions and make voting decisions. Like Newton, Evans pointed out that input from elected officials expressed thoughtfully and
ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor Speaker Designate Rep. Brian Evans
respectfully, will help any cause. Input expressed loudly moments before a legislative vote will have far less impact.
These strategic recommendations from two leaders who have been in the industry for a long time reinforce how Good Roads approaches communication.
Good Roads is a non-profit foundation that educates the state on the value of roads and bridges, but we do not lobby local or state officials on how we think they should vote. That is a crucial difference, and based on what we have seen in recent years, it’s a strategy that works right now in Arkansas – respectfully educating people about how infrastructure development helps create solid local economies and new jobs.
Evans, and Tudor were all making a variation of the same point at our meeting – let’s tell our story thoughtfully on an ongoing basis while at the same time helping local and state leaders understand how the framework and process for making decisions works.
A piece of advice I sometimes give people who have strong feelings about any road development or repair issue is to start attending highway commission meetings. The format of the commission meetings is formal and precise. There is nothing random or political about how infrastructure decisions are made. The commission members all respect the department’s traditions, and they understand how much a project can mean to a region or community.
ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor discussed the issue from a slightly different perspective. Tudor walked the audience through a detailed presentation on how the ARDOT and Highway Commission plan future projects. Some local and regional leaders across the state operate under the misconception that money and resources for projects are randomly allocated. The reality of how state and federal funds are used to implement long-term development plans is far more complex.
Lorie Tudor taking the time at our meeting to talk about the project development process is something you will hear more about from Good Roads in 2025. We want community leaders in any region of the state to understand better how decisions about infrastructure development are made. In a lot of ways, Newton,
Evans pointed out how good it is for Arkansas that the state’s Congressional delegation is fully engaged in supporting Arkansas in getting the resources it needs for the development of big projects like I-57, the new I-55 bridge at Memphis, and the extension of I-49 from Alma to Barling near Fort Smith.
As Speaker Designate Evans looks ahead to 2025 and the rapidly approaching legislative session, he says the issues he thinks about a lot right now are:
• Workforce development
• More resources for mental health treatment
• Long-term clean water availability for the entire state
• Addressing the high number of maternal birthing problems in Arkansas
• Substance abuse
• State employee pay
Robert Moery (left) presents Alec Farmer (right) with a plaque to commemorate his time on the Highway Commission.
Annual AGRF Meeting Recap
Newton showed the audience new data that indicates the issues that her more than 300 member companies think about the most right now:
• Economy
• Lawsuit abuse reform
• Insurance cost and availability
• Diesel technician shortage
• Driver Distraction
• Driver Retention
When you consider the top six topics Newton and Evans are each thinking about right now, the overlap seems to mostly involve recruiting and retaining a quality workforce that all businesses in Arkansas are constantly seeking. Evans understands the private and freight sectors and has hired new employees for years. Newton represents an industry continually seeking drivers and mechanics to keep thousands of trucks rolling around the clock seven days a week.
One of the most fundamental issues the state will face in the next few years will be how Arkansas integrates public education, community college work, and more sophisticated worker training programs.
Good Roads executive board members and members across the state will continue to do what we have done successfully in recent years – keep advancing the respectful dialog about our issues every week, not just when facing a crisis moment.
Left to right: Highway Commissioners Keith Gibson, Marie Holder, & Alec Farmer
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Arkansas State Highway Commission
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Lorie Tudor Receives SIR Award
Associated General Contractors (AGC) says the SIR award stands for Skill, Integrity, Responsibility, which are the base of the values of all AGC chapters. The SIR is a nationally recognized award, and the highest honor that Good Roads member AGC can give to a person outside the association whose leadership and activities have enhanced the construction industry. During the award presentation, AGC said that, as the first female director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Tudor is a role model and a mentor for many. She has successfully implemented a new strategic plan that focuses on partnering with contractors, legislature, and public officials. She has fostered a culture of transparency and accountability, ensuring that the D.O.T. delivers quality projects on time and within budget.
ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor and her husband Jeff at the recent Associated General Contractors annual meeting awards dinner after Director Tudor received the SIR award.
Highway 67, Now Officially Interstate 57
A major change is coming for those of you who have traveled Highway 67 in Arkansas for years. The road will be converted to Interstate 57 and eventually run from Chicago to North Little Rock. Over the past 60 years, 5 billion dollars have been spent on this project. The next section of the new interstate to be developed will run between Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, and Sikeston, Missouri. However, while that long-term work is underway, you will see the new I-57 signs very soon.
The larger goal of this work is for I-57 to be the connection between I-30 and I-40 in Central Arkansas and the nation’s primary east-west routes, such as 70, 80, and 90. Perhaps this work’s most tangible local impact for some of you will be the reduction in local traffic between West Memphis and Little Rock. The designation of any road as a federal interstate requires an Act of Congress. In 2017, US Highway 67 between North Little Rock and Walnut Ridge was designated “Future Highway 57”. At an event in Beebe in November to recognize this milestone, ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor said, “To build this road today would cost $5 billion. No matter how much money you spend on any road, you still need congressional approval to call it an interstate.”
United States Senator John Boozman joined Tudor at the event on the ASU Beebe campus. He told the audience, “Roads allow us to care for our families and help make our country great.”
As State Representative Brian Evans said this week, “We know that good roads matter to all of us. Today, we celebrate a transformation that opens doors for new economic opportunity. This easier north-south access will mean more jobs and economic growth for Arkansas.”
Highway 67 is also a road that has long been nicknamed the Rock ‘N’ Roll Highway in recognition of the legendary American entertainers who traveled it while going from city to city. Musicians like Elvis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Booker T took their bands and guitars up and down 67 for years.
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Join Us, Please!
Good Roads works with our members to tell the story of the need for funding and financing to help all communities develop, build and maintain roads and bridges. This drives the local economy and makes the roads safer for all of us. We have corporate and individual membership rates available. The award-winning Good Roads magazine reaches more than 1,200 key stakeholders. If you want to put your message in front of an elite audience of state legislators, mayors, county judges, Good Roads members, engineers and the companies that build roads and bridges, this is the best way to do it. This is the only in-state publication that offers you an easy way to reach this very specific audience.
