Pulaski County leaders say construction momentum is strong on two major active transportation corridors, the Southwest Trail and the Southeast Trail. In a meeting this week, Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde provided updates on funding, design, and construction schedules for both projects, which aim to expand regional connectivity and improve safe walking and biking options across central Arkansas.
Southwest Trail
The Southwest Trail originated with a federal planning grant from the Federal Lands Access Program. The program supports transportation routes that improve access to national parks and historic sites. Pulaski, Saline, and Garland counties secured the grant in 2017 to design a multiuse trail connecting the Central High School National Historic Site in Little Rock with Hot Springs National Park. The project met the federal requirement that the route link two federally significant sites.
The grant funded comprehensive planning and engineering valued at an estimated $3.26 million. Local partners shared costs after the federal contribution. The long term goal is a continuous corridor for bicycling and walking that fosters recreation, tourism, and alternative transportation between two of Arkansas’s most visited destinations.
Judge Hyde said the construction of Pulaski County’s portion of the Southwest Trail is fully funded from the Saline County line to Central High School. Funding sources include federal grants administered through the Arkansas Department of Transportation and MetroPlan. This includes some of the funding mentioned in this article…