Supporters of a new Pine Bluff Arsenal’s Access Control Facility have finally reached the “first and goal at the 6-yard line,” but the game isn’t over yet.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said, “The budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress in July (2025) allocated additional funding towards the Access Control Facility.”
Arsenal spokesperson Cheryl Avery said, “The current program amount is $26 million, and it is a fiscal year 2029 project with an FY 2027 pull-forward date.” That date would be the earliest the project could start if congressional appropriation is received.
Larry E. Wright, P.E., of LE Wright & Associates PLLC, is a consulting engineer for the city of White Hall and an adviser to the White Hall/Jefferson County Military Affairs Advisory Committee. He said, “It’s a promising development.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Boozman is the chairman of the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. He, along with U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark. (4th District), supported the funding project.
Boozman added, “I look forward to reviewing the Army’s spending plan for those dollars and remain committed to delivering the resources necessary to complete this important project.”
The project is expected to possibly be completed by 2030, Wright said.
White Hall Mayor Noel Foster said, “It’s an important infrastructure investment that will accommodate the arsenal’s growing transportation and logistics needs.”
A BREAKDOWN
The multi-structured facility will be built on approximately 3 acres, located next to the current Plainview Gate entrance.
Once completed, it would allow the arsenal to consolidate its commercial vehicle entryway, Dexter Gate, and its passenger vehicle entryway, Plainview Gate, into a single entry point.
Justin Selby, military program manager for the Little Rock District’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said, “It’s a unique access control point, because it’s a combination of control visitor and commercial gate.”
While Boozman’s office referred to it as an Access Control Facility, Selby said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers referred to it as an Access Control Point.
Hana-Kenall A8JV, with three locations in Texas and one in Louisiana, will complete the design, Selby said.
It will feature a commercial vehicle inspection point, a visitor control center equipped with security and built-in tornado protection features, a gatehouse, a vehicle inspection canopy, guard booths, an ID check canopy and a search area, Selby said.
The system also includes ancillary facilities and infrastructure, roadways, parking, lighting, traffic control signals, vehicle barriers, and fire protection systems.
Boozman said he “is proud to advocate for Pine Bluff Arsenal and support its efforts as a crucial component of our national defense industrial base.”
Foster said, “This project will provide a safe and secure entrance into Pine Bluff Arsenal that will support future growth needs.”
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN UNDERWAY
At this point, there isn’t a completion date for the facility’s design, which is 35% complete, with the remaining 65% of the design underway, Selby said.
The U.S. Army’s Military Construction Planning and Design department is funding the design at a cost of about $1.7 million.
