LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Department of Transportation estimates that in 2027 and 2028 about $2.2 billion of new projects will be added to its list of highway improvements.
That estimate comes from the department’s chief engineer for preconstruction, in an interview in the summer issue of the agency’s magazine.
Of all state agencies, the Transportation Department has perhaps the most active communications office. For safety reasons, the public has to be kept up to date about the status of highway projects and changes in road conditions due to bad weather.
One example is I Drive Arkansas, an app that is found at @idrivearkansas. It allows you to check road conditions, and plan trips around construction projects or winter weather.
The department sends out more news releases than other state agencies, because of the need to notify the public ahead of time about roadwork that requires the closing of lanes, ramps or sections of highway. For example, already in August the department has sent out 17 press releases.
Department officials hold numerous public hearings to gather input about proposed highway projects and those must be publicized. The department also keeps contractors up to date on projects so that they can submit bids for work. That entails providing contractors with mountains of accurate information, ranging from specifications for different types of asphalt that must be used to the financial requirements a contractor must comply with in order to be bonded.
One of the go-to sources of information for legislators, highway officials and the general public is the department’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
The document outlines what the department is working on, over a four-year period. The federal government, which provides hundreds of millions in grants for highway projects, requires all 50 states to maintain a version of STIP that covers four fiscal years. Federal funds cannot be spent on any highway projects that have not been listed in the STIP.
