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The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas
April 2014 April, 2014
The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas | 1
The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas In 1995 Metroplan adopted the Metro 2020 Metropolitan Transportation Plan providing central Arkansas with a new vision and directional change in the delivery of transportation and mobility for our citizens. The plan was developed and adopted in response to passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). Guided by a broad public outreach effort that incorporated visual preference surveys and a citizen-based advisory council, the plan begins by saying: “Metro 2020 is intended to be the beginning of a new vision for Central Arkansas. That vision is of an economically vibrant region with a high quality of life that includes an efficient transportation system, environmentally sensitive development and reasonable mobility for all. To achieve those objectives with the limited dollars available, we need to be smarter about how we invest our transportation dollars and how we develop our land. Modest changes today can pay great dividends in improved mobility, quality of life, and economic competitiveness tomorrow.
Metro 2020 will not deliver a new future by itself. Hopefully, it charts a path into the future for Central Arkansas and takes the first steps into the 21st century.”
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Since then, Metroplan has built on this seminal document’s foundation, with subsequent updates: Metro 2025, Metro 2030, and Metro 2030.2.
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Imagine Central Arkansas is the fifth manifestation of the regional vision first established twenty years ago. Although the core themes remain the same, this plan was broadened to include elements not traditionally tackled as part of a long-range transportation plannng process. Furthermore, we’re not simply looking to prepare for 2040, but more importantly, how to build and imagine a version of central Arkansas where everyone enjoys where they live, work, and play.
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This pamphlet defines the current vision for the delivery of transportation within central Arkansas. It reports on the progress made during the past 20 years, and provides both short and long term steps necessary to ultimately achieve the region’s vision. For more information about Imagine Central Arkansas and to view the entire document, visit Metroplan.org.
2 | The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas
Vision Statement The Metropolitan Transportation Plan will contribute to a more livable and efficient environment in central Arkansas. This plan should significantly change how we allow our transportation systems and our communities to develop, by defining an intermodal transportation system that: • Maximizes the mobility of people and goods; • Minimizes transportation related fuel consumption and air pollution; and, • Establishes a strong link between transportation infrastructure and land use.
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What Do Central Arkansans Value? • Natural and civic spaces. • Places to connect and play. • Choice in transportation (transit, walking, bicycling). • Safe, family-friendly.
Six Goals 1. Economic Growth
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Develop an intermodal metropolitan transportation system that supports the economic growth of central Arkansas through the safe and efficient movement of people and goods.
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2. Equality of Access and Transportation Choice
• Economy/affordability, quality of life. Based on responses collected through the Imagine Central Arkansas website, social media and face-to-face outreach.
Provide a metropolitan transportation system that allows all citizens of central Arkansas reasonable access to services and jobs without regard to age, income or disability by providing many transportation choices.
3. Environmental Quality
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Protect and enhance the environmental quality of the central Arkansas region.
4. Land Use
Protect and enhance the efficiency of the metropolitan transportation system by linking land development and the provision of transportation facilities.
5. Quality Transportation Corridors Develop and/or enhance a regional network of quality transportation corridors with high design standards for efficiency in moving traffic, with provision for pedestrian, bicycle and transit options.
6. Funding Adequacy Identify and develop funding sources adequate to build and operate the metropolitan transportation system. April, 2014
The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas | 3
Freeways Mobility within central Arkansas is influenced greatly by the freeways (I-30, I-40, I-430, I-530, I-630, Hwy 67/167) that bisect our communities and serve both long-distance travel and commuting needs within our region. These freeways also serve the majority of freight movement traveling through our region. Maintaining and improving these freeways is critical to the region’s welfare and economic competiveness.
Freeway Vision Statement The vision for freeways within central Arkansas is to create a network of six through-lane corridors that are operated efficiently and maintained in a good state of repair. Much of the freeway system has been widened or is planned for widening in the future. Focus will then shift to correcting choke points (congestion that occurs because of traffic bottlenecks i.e. six lanes to four lanes), maintaining pavement quality of the network, and improving operations through incident management, ITS, and technology advancements.
Improvements to Freeways Since passage of Metro 2020, the greatest expenditure of transportation dollars has been committed to maintaining and widening the freeway network. Since 1995 over 53.8 center-line miles of freeway have been widened while another x miles has been reconstructed. These improvements to freeways have cost $xx billion while an additional $xxx million in improvements are planned as part of the Interstate Rehab and CAP Programs.
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The map on the page 6 shows where the freeway has been widened since the passage of Metro 2020 in 1995.
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Interstate Reconstruction (I-530/I-40) Construction of Hwy 440 (I-40 to Hwy 67) Widening of I-30 (Saline/Pulaski Counties) Widening of I-40 (Faulkner/Pulaski Counties) Widening of Hwy 67/167 (Lonoke/Pulaski Counties) 6. I-630/I-430 Interchange Reconstruction
Freeway Vision – Top Projects (cost in millions of dollars)
Facility Location Systemwide Systemwide
Project Close maintenance funding gap1
Hwy 38 I-40 Hwy 67/167 Hwy 67/167 I-40 Various
New Roadway and Interchange New Interchange and new 2 lane facility Interchange Interchange Interchange Supplement CAP funding
4 | The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas
Hwy 67/167 to Hwy 367 Maumelle Interchange Vandenburg Boulevard Highway 5 Highway 65 Various
Cost (2014) $1,020.2 $5.9 $6.6 $9.5 $11.2 $12.1 TBD April, 2014
Next Steps to Reaching Vision
Connect Arkansas Program (CAP)
Central Arkansas Freeway Vision
While significant financial investments have been made on freeways, maintenance of highways requires extensive financial means that have yet to be identified. The region must look long term to developing a regional freeway management system and identifying critical interchange improvements.
In 2012, the voters of Arkansas approved a temporary one-half cent sales tax to fund the continued construction of a four-lane highway network. The sales tax funding includes $565 million for the widening of the following freeways in central Arkansas. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Funded Projects 1. Interstate Rehab Program (IRP) and Connect Arkansas Program (CAP) • I-530 Reconstruction (I-30 to Jefferson County) • I-40 Reconstruction (West of Hwy 65 and East of I-440) • I-630 Reconstruction (Pine/ Cedar to Battery) • I-30/I-40 Widening (Hwy 67 to I-530) • I-30 Widening (Sevier Street to Hwy 70) • I-40 Widening (Hwy 365 to I-40) • I-630 Widening (Barrow to University) • Hwy 67 (Jacksonville to Cabot) High-Priority Projects
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• New Maumelle Interchange • I-40 at Hwy 65 • Hwy 67 at Vandenburg and Hwy 5 3. Pavement Maintenance/Interstate Rehab • I-630 4. Capacity Improvements to I-40 between North Little Rock and Memphis
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1. Complete a regional freeway management system and incident management plan 2. Operational improvements and interchange improvements • North Cabot Interchange
I-30/I-40 (I-530 to Hwy 67) I-30 (Hwy 70 to Sevier St/Benton) I-40 (Hwy 365 to I-40) I-630 (Baptist to University) Hwy 67/167 (Main Street/ Jacksonville to Hwy 5)
Long-Term Priorities 1. Additional widening to 6 lanes as necessary
The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas | 5
Central Arkansas Freeways
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Interstate Rehab Program
I-40 Widening to Memphis The need for widening I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis was consistently brought up during outreach conducted for Imagine Central Arkansas. While most of this route is located outside of central Arkansas, Metroplan encourages AHTD to seek funding alternatives (like the I-40 toll study) for this widening.
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In 2011, the voters of Arkansas voted to allow the Arkansas Highway Commission to issue $575 Million in GARVEE bonds to fund repairs to existing interstates in Arkansas. Using existing and future federal and state funding, a broad construction program ($1 billion) was developed to reconstruct many of the interstates within Arkansas. Central Arkansas expects to receive $214 million for the reconstruction of interstates within the region.
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April, 2014
Transit Transit service has long been a vital transportation link for central Arkansas. Trolley cars and buses were the primary modes of transportation for the first half of the 20th century. However, when the rise of the personal automobile grew popular in the 1950s, transit service within the region declined. Recent renewed interest in transit and local economic development returned the trolley car to our downtown area. Ridership on local buses has grown in part due to the changing mobility needs of our region. Societal changes, fuel cost, and environmental considerations will lead to public transit taking a more prominent role in travel across the region in the future. Central Arkansas is currently served by Central Arkansas Transit Authority (CATA) providing fixed
The intersection of Capitol and Main was the heart of downtown and the commercial center of the state. Photo: The Library of Congress
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Improvements to Transit Service route and para-transit service within Pulaski County and South Central Arkansas Transit (SCAT) providing a limited demand responsive transit service in Saline and Lonoke Counties.
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Transit Vision Statement The vast majority of central Arkansans envision a region in which transportation options are rich and plentiful with premium transit service. Regional Transit connects local fixed-route bus and paratransit services in the major populated areas across Central Arkansas with premium fixed-guideway or bus-rapid-transit regional services. The future transit rider could be young, elderly, a student, professional, or a parent with young children and a stroller. The transit of tomorrow will be reliable, convenient, quick, and will meet the mobility needs of our ever-changing River Cities Travel Center in Little Rock is the hub of CATA bus service. society.
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In 1995 CATA had the oldest fleet of public transit vehicles in the United States. Immediate improvements to transit service included a modernization of the transit fleet and the opening of the River Cities Travel Center. As the citizens from across the region seek premium transit service options, recent efforts have focused on expanding River Rail and defining a network of fixed guideway routes (i.e. for Light Rail or BRT). The following enhancements have been made to transit service since the passage of Metro 2020, the Long Range Plan adopted in 1995. The total expenditure of federal funds on transit service since 1995 is $xx million. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Modernized Transit Fleet River Cities Travel Center River Rail Street Trolley Express Route Modifications I-630 Fixed Guide way and Alignment Study and Video 6. River Rail Airport Study (Phase I and II) 7. Trip Planner through Google Transit and Bing Maps 8. Conway Bus Feasibility Study 9. Development of Regional Transit Vision (Metro 2030) 10. Incorporated transit considerations in community development project
About about one in four central Arkansas residents currently lives within walking distance of fixed route transit. The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas | 7
2040 Transit Vision with Park and Ride
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Transit System 2010
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The Return of the Trolley The last streetcar ran in Little Rock on Christmas Day 1947‌ until 2005 when the first replica streetcar of the new River Rail streetcar line was launched by Central Arkansas Transit Authority. The first two phases of the River Rail streetcar were planned to serve tourist destinations in the downtown areas.
As a tool to stimulate redevelopment downtown, River Rail is an outstanding success. For every $1 of local tax dollar invested in River Rail, $135 of new capital investment has occurred, and a total of nearly $800 million of new capital investment along the route.
8 | The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas
The River Rail trolley
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CATA Ridership
Next Steps to Reaching Vision 2. CATA Short Range Transit Plan, Long-range agency vision, and imaging/branding review
2,500 2,400 2,300 2,200 2,100 2,000
All aboard.
2007
2008
2009
2010
4.2%
2,600
2011
12.5%
2,700
0.6%
Transit coverage must expand beyond the current service hub of Little Rock and North Little Rock to encompass Conway, Benton, Bryant, and other cities. High-frequency routes with dedicated vehicles are needed as a precursor to premium transit service routes. The public has expressed their preference for additional amenities, including wifi and real time bus display. In order to get where we need to go, we must strategically plan for appropriate land development and Long-Term Priorities population growth. 1. Expanded local bus service to Saline Funded Projects and Lonoke Counties 1. Maintaining existing service 2. Connecting the region through premium transit service
2,800
-4.8%
1. Public education on the value of transit and development of a dedicated transit funding source 2. Higher frequency, improved vehicles, and technology advancements 3. Institute Local Transit Service within Conway 4. New express bus service from Conway, Benton/Bryant, Cabot 5. Construction of a light rail line roughly parallel to I-630
2,900
7.9%
High-Priority Projects
3,000
Annual Ridership (thousand’s)
A viable and sustainable approach for reaching the transit vision must set in place a dedicated funding source. Once funding is secured, transit can expand its coverage area and frequency of trips.
2012*
CATA has seen a recent surge in ridership thanks in part to increases in the price of gasoline *Estimated.
Source: National Transit Database, CATA
Regional Transit Corridor Development
Study
Regional Transit Vision – Top Projects (cost in millions of dollars) Service Area Conway to Little Rock (RAN Corridor 8/I-40) West Little Rock to Little Rock (RAN Corridor 9/I-630) Benton to Little Rock (RAN Corridor 6/I-30) Cabot to Little Rock (RAN Corridor 7/US 67/167) West Little Rock to Little Rock/Airport (I-630 corridor) April, 2014
Project Express bus service/fixed guideway study. Expand local service.
Cost (2014) $4.9
Express bus service and transit hub.
$2.2
Express bus service/fixed guideway study.
$4.9
Express bus service/fixed guideway study.
$4.9
Light Rail Transit
$622.0
Express Bus Service
Premium Transit (bus rapid transit, light rail, commuter rail)
The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for Central Arkansas | 9
Regional Bikeways Cycling continues to grow in popularity as a form of transportation for central Arkansans—for recreation, but also increasingly as a mode of travel. The region’s bike trails attract visitors from all over the state, as well as out of state cyclers. Progress has been made in the past 15 years on the construction of a regional bikeways network, but much of central Arkansas still lacks the critical infrastructure to make bicycling a viable transportation option. The need for a regional bikeway network was first identified in Metro 2020. Construction of the Big Dam Bridge spurred further public, private and government investments in regional bikeways.
Bikeways Vision The Regional Bikeways vision provides a mode of transportation for cyclists to access employment centers, shopping, services and homes across municipalities throughout Central Arkansas. The signature piece of the network is a regionally connected system of off-roadway trails (such as the Arkansas River Trail), but the backbone of the network will be on-road facilities that are included on new and retrofitted streets. These facilities will include dedicated lanes, wide shoulders, shared lanes or parallel facilities. Many of the regional bicycle routes will be completed as part of the Regional Arterial Network (RAN) system.
Arkansas River Trail
Improvements to Bikeway Vision The most noticeable progress in implementing the regional bikeway vision is enhancements made to the Arkansas River Trail and construction of the Big Dam Bridge, and the addition of bike lanes and lane-sharing markers, or “sharrows” on city streets. Since 1995 the region has spent $xx million on bicycle facilities. Conway and North Little Rock have been recognized as Bike Friendly Communities. Other markers include:
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• Regional Bikeway Plan completed as part of Metro 2025 Plan • Construction of the Big Dam Bridge, TwoRivers Bridge, Junction Bridge, Clinton Presidential Bridge • Arkansas River Trail Memorandum of Understanding • Continued extension of Hwy 5 with bike lanes • Development of local bike networks and signage (Conway, North Little Rock, Little Rock) • Regional Policy for Sharrows • Adoption of Complete Street Policies (Conway, North Little Rock, Little Rock)
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The Arkansas River Trail System is an expansive 88.5-mile (and growing) loop across the Natural State. As a central piece of the Regional Bikeway Network, the trail connects 5 cities, 38 parks, 6 museums, and 5,000+ acres of federal, state, and local parkland. The trail system is also distinguished by the Big Dam Bridge, Junction Bridge, Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, and Two Rivers Park Bridge.
Southwest Trail In 2013, mayors and county judges from Pulaski, Saline, and Garland Counties assembled to announce plans to connect Little Rock and Hot Springs with a bike trail using abandoned railroad rights-of-way. The 57-mile Southwest Trail will connect the communities of Little Rock, Shannon Hills, Bauxite, Benton, Haskell, and Hot Springs.
Regional Bikeway Connectors On-road regional bikeway connectors are a critical piece in connecting the region. These connectors join the local city bike networks to allow travel between cities. The connectors typically consist of bike lanes or shoulders added to existing streets and highways. Appropriate signage and pavement markings complement the facilities.
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Next Steps to Reaching Vision Funded Projects
Long-Term Priorities
1. Spot improvements along the Arkansas River Trail 2. Bike lanes added to sections of Hwy 5 and Hwy 365 High-Priority Projects
1. Complete Regional Connectors 2. Finish construction of the Southwest Trail 3. Adoption of Complete Streets policies by all cities in central Arkansas.
1. Complete Arkansas River Trail (including upgrades within Maumelle and continuing to Conway) 2. Complete regional bikeway connectivity along Hwy 5 (Saline County) 3. Begin construction of Southwest Trail 4. Add more inner city paths to connect homes to work/school 5. Connect Arkansas River Trail and Southwest Trail
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There are xx miles of paved off-road bicycle trails in the region. There are also designated on-road bicycle routes, but these cover less than two percent of central Arkansas roads.
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Class III: Bicyclists share space with motorists on roadways with no special provision except for signing of the bike route for bicyclists. Shared lanes typically feature 12 foot lane widths or less with no shoulders, allowing cars to safely pass bicycles only by crossing the center line or moving into another traffic lane.
LEFT: Class I: Bike facilities are physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier, either within the road right-of-way or within an independent right of way. Two-way shared paths are required to be a minimum of 12 feet wide.
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Class II: Bike lanes are portions of the roadway designated by striping, signing, and pavement markings for preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists. Bike lanes must be six feet wide at minimum.
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Other types of shared facilities: These include wide outside lanes with a width of at least 14 feet that can accommodate bicycle traffic. Shoulders must be paved and a minimum of four feet wide when they are designed to accommodate bicycle traffic.
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NOTE: Will be substituting better photos for these. This page layout is still in progress
Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities in Central Arkansas Street Centerline Miles
Sidewalk Miles
% of Streets with Sidewalks
Miles of Bike Lanes, Routes and Shoulders
Miles of Off- Road Trails
Faulkner County
2,054
139
7%
69.3
3.8
Lonoke County
1,903
50
3%
0
1.7
Pulaski County
3,837
1,107
29%
78.1
77.3
Saline County
2,470
116
5%
4.6
5.1
Four-County Region Totals
10,264
1412
14%
152
87.9
Location
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Regional Arterial Network The Regional Arterial Network (RAN) was developed in 1999 as a 682-mile network of regional significant, non-freeway roads that emphasize connectivity and mobility within the CARTS Region. In addition to serving as an alternative for freeways, this network serves major destinations and facilities of regional importance within the CARTS region (colleges and universities, hospitals, intermodal facilities, regional activity centers, and major employment centers). This network is critically important to the movement of people and goods throughout the region and therefore the economic wellbeing of the region. Defining the Regional Arterial Network also helps determine and plan accordingly for the future growth of the region. The map below shows the priority and nonpriority RAN corridors expanded to the full CARTS region.
Improvements to the RAN Considerable expenditures have gone into improving the RAN since its adoption in 1999. This includes smaller projects like intersection improvements, roundabouts and signal upgrades to larger projects like reconstruction and widening projects. Since 1995 the region has spent $XX billion on improvements to regional arterials. Following are some of the improvements made to the RAN since its inception. 1. Widening and Reconstruction of Military Road in Benton 2. Widening of Hwy 5 in Little Rock and Bryant (planned) 3. Signal coordination along Hwy 89 and Hwy 321 in Cabot 4. Widening and Realignment of Hwy 89 and Hwy 5 in Cabot
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Regional Arterial Network Vision Statement The vision of the Regional Arterial Network is the completion of a network of highly functioning arterials that primarily serves intra-regional travel and major traffic generators while serving as an alternative to the freeway network.
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Roadway Facilities Requiring Major Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Requiring Major Reconstruction/ Rehabilitation between 2015 and 2040
CARTS Lane Miles
Facility Type
Existing
New
Total
% of Total
Lane Miles
Interstate
955
125
1,080
50%
540
Arterial Collector (Reconstruction)
6,180
940
7,120
25%
1,780
Arterial Collector (System Overlay)
6,180
940
7,120
75%
5,340
7,135
1,065
8,200
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7,660
TOTAL April, 2014
5. Widening and Reconstruction of Hwy 60/ Dave Ward Drive and Hwy 65B/Harkrider in Conway 6. Widening and Reconstruction of Graham Road in Jacksonville 7. Intersection improvements at Main Street and Harris Road in Jacksonville 8. Signal upgrades and adaptive signal control (planned) for Maumelle Blvd 9. Widening and Reconstruction of Brockington and Hwy 107 in Sherwood 10. Little Rock Downtown Signal Upgrades 11. Widening and Reconstruction of University Avenue and Hwy 5/Colonel Glenn in Little Rock 12. Construction of a Roundabout at the intersection of Pike Avenue, Broadway, and Riverfront in North Little Rock
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Central Arkansas Regional Arterial Network
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Caption about signalizztion
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Next Steps Reaching the regional vision for arterials will require additional regional funding dedicated to completion of the network. Metroplan will continue to explore funding alternatives including the creation of a Regional Mobility Authority (RMA) and promote additional federal and state funding availability for the network. Improvements to the RAN will first emphasize lower cost optimization projects on corridors prior to major widening. Individual projects will be based upon recommendations from the Regional Arterial Network Study as well as individual corridor. Funded Projects 1. Operational Improvements on Maumelle Blvd 2. Operational Improvements on Dave Ward Drive 3. Operation Improvements to University Avenue 4. I-430/Cantrell Road Interchange Improvements 5. Alcoa Road Widening 6. Hwy 25 Relocation 7. Hwy 5 Widening (Bryant) High-Priority Projects 1. North Cabot Interchange (partially funded) 2. New Maumelle/I-40 Interchange (partially funded)
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3. Corridor Safety and Optimization Projects • Hwy 64 • Hwy 89 • Hwy 107 • Hwy 365/MacArthur • Hwy 10/Cantrell 4. Reconstruction • Roosevelt • Hwy 161 • Hwy 365
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Long-Term Priorities
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1. Widenings • Text still to come
Types of Improvements Safety Improvements This category includes a variety of measures whose purpose is to improve roadway or transit safety. Examples include everything from signage and intersection improvements, to accommodations for pedestrians and bikes, and all the way to major roadway work. Operational Improvements Projects included in this category are lower-cost strategies intended to improve the functionality of the Regional Strategic Network. Eligible project types may include access management, intersection improvements, transit ITS applications and bridge replacement. Reconstruction “Critical Roadway Segments” refers to those portions of the Regional Arterial Network that are designated as crucial to mobility. Reconstructing those segments is a major project undertaking that involves removal of all existing asphalt surfacing, excavation of the road subgrade materials, and rebuilding the road from the bottom-up, including any utility work. Widening Projects that add additional through lanes are considered major widening projects.
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Rail Grade Separations During development of Metro 2020, citizens in all parts of the region raised significant concern regarding at-grade railroad crossings. Their concerns included safety risk, noise impacts and delay for school buses, emergency vehicles and motorists due to the high frequency of trains per day. Metro 2020 targeted $26 Million of future federal funds for up to eight rail grade separations. In 1996, the Metroplan Board of Directors (MPO) directed the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) to review and prioritize regional rail grade separations. Using quantifiable evaluation factors (delay, accessibility, connective, geographic distribution, and safety) and preliminary engineering studies, twelve rail grade separations were recommended to the Metroplan Board.
Caption about rail grade separation in Maumelle.
In 1997 the Metroplan Board committed to completing funding for the following 12 Rail Grade Separations by 2020 (requesting AHTD to fund 4 of the projects). To date seven of the rail grade separations have been completed at a cost of $xx million, with an additional 3 separations scheduled in the TIP at a cost of $43 Million. The status of each rail grade separation is listed below; locations are illustrated on the following map.
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Rail Grade East Main Street Baseline Road (SH 338) South Loop Hwy 89 Extension North Cabot Railroad Overpass (SH 38) Salem Road Edison Avenue (SH 35/183) McCain Blvd Maumelle Blvd (SH 100) Geyer Springs JP Wright Loop Springer/Confederate Blvd (SH 365)*
Caption about how dangerous some of the crossings were before the rail grade separations.
Location Jacksonville Little Rock Little Rock Mayflower Cabot Conway Benton North Little Rock Maumelle Little Rock Jacksonville Little Rock
Current Status Completed Completed Completed Scheduled for 2016 Completed Completed Completed Scheduled for 2015 Completed Scheduled for 2016 Considered for 2016-2019 TIP Cancelled
*During Imagine Central Arkansas AHTD and the City of Little Rock requested that the Springer Blvd Grade Crossing be removed due to construction disruptions and changing train traffic patterns which reduced the need for the grade separation.
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As part of Imagine Central Arkansas, regional rail grade separations locations were reviewed by the TCC. Ultimately, five new locations were selected for further study due to their distance from existing grade crossings (145 Street, Fouche Dam Pike, Alcoa, Hwy 111 & Hwy 319 ). In none of the cases did the cost-benefit analysis indicate that these locations should be pursued. As high speed rail is pursued, connecting Little Rock with Dallas, St. Louis, and Memphis, the need for additional rail grade separations will be reconsidered.
Central Arkansas Rail Grade Separations 2010
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Caption about rail grade separation in Jacksonville.
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About Metroplan
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Metroplan is a voluntary association of local governments that has operated by interlocal agreement since 1955. Originally formed as the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission of Pulaski County, Metroplan now has members in five counties of the six-county metro area (see below). Metroplan is the designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) under Title 23 of the United States Code. Metroplan serves as the regional voice on issues affecting Central Arkansas, develops transportation plans required by federal law, convenes stakeholders to deal with common environmental issues, and provides information and staff resources to our member local governments, the business community and the public. As part of that mission, Metroplan publishes Metrotrends twice yearly. The spring edition is the Demographic Review and Outlook; the fall edition is the Economic Review and Outlook.
About CARTS The Central Arkansas Regional Transportation Study, or CARTS, is the cooperative effort by the participating communities, transportation providers and many other interested parties to develop a longrange transportation plan for the metropolitan area.
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inside back cover blank