Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas General Meeting, Whole Hog Cafe, Cantrell Road, Little Rock.
Last night, Jon Honeywell, Director of Public Works for the City of Little Rock, presented 5 alternate plans for closing the loop of the Arkansas River Trail between the Gill Street Bridge and La Harpe Blvd. Mr. Honeywell stressed that these are in no way complete or final. These plans will be reworked and pieces from each may be used to come to a couple of final designs.
Once the final designs are completed and approved by city engineers, they will be presented to the landowners including Dillard's, Inc. for input before a final design is then completed. Mr. Honeywell said they hope to have that final design complete before the end of 2024. Once that is done, the design will then go before the City Directors for approval.
The 5 Alternate Plans:
Mr. Honeywell also mentioned that one plan would be to do nothing but that is not the direction city staff is taking. I have included the narratives written by Garver USA, the engineering firm hired by the city to create these designs (in italics) followed by information presented by Mr. Honeywell at the meeting.
Of note: All plans show two alternatives on the east section gong in front of Dillard's IT center or behind it. All trails would be 14' paved trails with the exception of a short section between Dillard's IT center and Cantrell Road.
Alternate One:
"Trail Alternative 1 is described as a minimal/low impact trail alternative utilizing the existing layout of Cantrell Road and minimal modifications to the two Dillards driveways. A 5’ grassed buffer would be utilized between the trail and the back of curb. The western driveway would be a signal controlled pedestrian crossing and the eastern intersection would utilize raised crosswalks and flashing beacons. This alternative would be the lowest
cost and the least impact of the five alternatives, however the high-speed turning movements associated with the large radii channelized turning movements are a potential safety concern."
This alternative is basically a widening of the current sidewalks but includes the alternative to go behind the Dillard's IT center.
Alternate Two:
"This alternative is similar to Alternative 1, but it also includes driveway reconstruction to improve safety at the two Dillards driveways, and it includes utilizing the auxiliary lane between the two Dillards driveways. This alternative is designed to reduce entry speeds into the Dillards facility and reduce crossing distance. Utilizing the existing auxiliary lane reduces utility impacts, tree impacts and wall requirements."
Alternate Three:
"Trail Alternative 3 crosses both Dillards driveways higher up away from the turning movements of Cantrell Road. It allows for shorter crossing distances, lower vehicular speeds, fewer driver distractions associated with entering and exiting Cantrell Road. Between the two Dillards driveways, this alternative navigates between the trees and the parking lot at the top of the hillside. Features such as raised crosswalks and flashing beacons may be used at each driveway crossing to slow traffic down and alert drivers to the crossing."
Alternate Four:
"Trail Alternative 4 consists of constructing a pedestrian bridge over the two Dillards driveways. This alternative would require fill walls to ramp up and descend to and from the required bridge deck elevation. This alternative would eliminate the conflicts between bike/ped users and vehicles at the two Dillards driveways. Substantial wall construction would be required to slope the trail up to the required bridge elevation at a 5% slope."
Alternate Five:
"Trail Alternative 5 consists of constructing a tunnel under the east driveway of Dillards and a pedestrian bridge over the west driveway of Dillards. The bridge on the west driveway of Dillards would require fill walls to ramp up and descend to and from the required bridge deck elevation. On the east driveway of Dillards, retaining walls would be required on both sides of the tunnel to tie into existing ground. The existing topography is conducive for a tunnel under the east driveway."
This particular plan got some very positive responses from the attendees at the meeting plus Mr. Honeywell said that the public works staff was excited about this one. Having a bridge over the west entrance to Dillard's and a tunnel under the east entrance would keep the grade even throughout most of the project making for easier riding. If the option to go behind the Dillard's IT center is used than with this plan there are no driveway crossings making for safe, easy flow of bikes and pedestrians in the area.
Moving Forward:
We see three major mountains to cross before we see a groundbreaking:
What changes will Dillard's want? Mr. Honeywell said that the final decision on the design will be the cities and not Dillard's executives.
The City Directors vote. This project will not move forward without a majority of the city board of directors approval. This means that any opposition to this plan can influence directors to vote against the plan.
Funding. While Mayor Scott has said at several recent City Ward meetings that this project will be funded by the city. Mr. Honeywell pointed out that design could be influenced by the amount of funding available and grants may need to be applied for once they have a shovel ready design.
Keep watching this page and the BACA social media sites for updates and ways you can get involved.
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