The much hoped-for consolidation of a single commercial and passenger entry point to the Pine Bluff Arsenal is now one step closer to reality.
The U.S. Army’s Military Construction (MILCON) Planning and Design department announced that it is fully funding — about $1.7 million worth — the design of a modern, more secure design of the arsenal’s Plainview Gate, said Justin Selby, military program manager for the Little Rock District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The work is slated to start during the fourth quarter of this year, he said.
“We received authorization and MILCON Planning and Design funds to proceed to 100 percent design,” Selby said.
Currently, plans are 35% complete, and the funding will allow for the completion of the design by the HANA-Kenall 8(a) Joint Venture. Funding also includes the Phase 1 design costs.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The firm, with offices in Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans, specializes in projects for federal agencies, dams, levees, airports and state, municipal and local governments, according to its website. Larry E. Wright of LE Wright & Associates PLLC, said, “This announcement is a big deal.”
Wright is a consulting engineer for the city of White Hall and a member of the White Hall/Jefferson County Military Affairs Advisory Committee.
White Hall and Jefferson County have worked with legislators like U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., to find funding to design a new Plainview Gate, Wright said. Once completed, possibly with construction funding expected within the next few years, it would allow the arsenal to consolidate its two commercial and passenger vehicle entry points to the Plainview Gate.
Last year, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) made about $2.2 million in improvements on Arkansas 256, which included widening and bridge improvements. However, this will not be enough to handle all the incoming and outgoing traffic, Wright said, and will require additional roadway upgrades and the replacement of the 80-year-old Caney Creek Bridge.
These improvements are critical for the continuing mission of the arsenal, Wright added.
“We won’t have a final project cost estimate until we are further into the design phase,” Selby said about the construction costs of a new Plainview Gate.