The estimated $20 million Plainview Access Point at the Pine Bluff Arsenal remains a priority, meaning construction on the modern, multi-structured facilities sitting on a three-acre site could begin moving forward.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Little Rock office “did receive authorization to work towards a Design-Build acquisition.
The authorization came through our normal Army MILCON chain of command,” James H. Woods, junior civilian for the Corps of Engineers’ Southwestern District in Little Rock, said Tuesday.
“The (access point’s) design is not complete. The acquisition strategy is changing from Design-Bid-Build to Design-Build. The design will be completed under the Design Build contract,” Woods said.
According to the Army Corps website, the U.S. Army design-build method is a project delivery system in which a single contractor manages both design and construction, speeding up project delivery and reducing costs compared to traditional methods.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Omaha District of the Corps of Engineers Center of Excellence is not designing the facility, but, Woods said, “They are the Center of Standardization for Access Control Points and will be involved in reviewing the design.”
“We are currently evaluating how the project will be advertised,” Woods added. The contract could be around $20 million.
“We do not know what size company the contract could be awarded to at this time, but it will need to be able to support the design-build method,” Woods said.
Woods’ office is not using the word “accelerated” to describe the project’s completion, but White Hall officials are encouraged that it remains a priority.
White Hall Mayor Noel Foster founded the White Hall Military Affairs Advisory Committee.
“This project will provide a safe and secure entrance into Pine Bluff Arsenal that will support future growth needs,” Foster said.
Additionally, Foster said about the recent road upgrades to Hoadley Road and the planned modernization of the Plainview Gate: “The timing is perfect.”
In late January, the U.S. Army announced that Hanwha Defense USA plans to construct a $1.3 billion, 1,065-acre munitions campus at the Arsenal.
FROM A GATE TO SECURE ENTRY
Last September, Justin Selby, military program manager for the Corps of Engineers’ Little Rock District, said in a Pine Bluff Commercial article: “It’s a unique access control point, because it’s a combination of control visitor and commercial gate.”
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.
The Plainview Access Point will be located next to the old Plainview Gate entryway at the end of Hoadley Road, and the construction is funded by the Department of Defense’s Military Construction.
Once completed, it would allow the Arsenal to consolidate its commercial vehicle entryway at Dexter Gate and passenger vehicle entryway at Plainview Gate into a single entry point. According to Cheryl Avery, an Arsenal civilian spokeswoman, at this time, approximately 1,000 civilian employees and military personnel enter the Arsenal daily, with about 11,000 tons of shipments coming and going annually.
