White Hall sees progress on infrastructure in 2024

While most of the new development in White Hall wasn’t as flashy as in the last few years, the completion of at least two infrastructure improvements in 2024 is “essential for continued growth.”

That’s how White Hall Mayor Noel Foster described the upgrades to the western portion of Sheridan Road and Holland and Hoadley roads.

The entire widening of Sheridan Road will extend approximately 4.5 miles on either side of Interstate 530, Exit 34, from the intersection of U.S. 270 and Arkansas 365-S to Arkansas 104 to Arkansas 365.

The work on the west is nearing completion, said Drew Hoggard, Arkansas Department of Transportation district engineer for District 2. Work on the east side is scheduled to start this spring.

According to 2022 traffic counts, about 8,900 vehicles travel on the three-lane road on I-530’s west side daily, with about 13,000 traveling on the east side.

The entire Sheridan Road project will cost taxpayers about $45 million.

Barring weather delays, it is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

ArDOT also completed a $2.2 million Preservation Project on Arkansas 256 that started at Interstate 30, Exit 32, and ended at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in 2024.

Foster said “these infrastructure improvements were greatly needed” as White Hall’s commercial and institutional growth continues, such as the opening of the 87,000-square-foot Jefferson Regional Specialty Hospital in May. It employs as many as 200 people.

Additionally, the Pine Bluff Arsenal was awarded $15 million to design and build a new Plainview Gate to replace the old one. It’s one of Jefferson County’s largest employers and is critical to White Hall’s commercial success, Foster said.

Foster said 2025 promises more growth, with the Mill Town Coffee Co. opening and a national franchise considering a location near I-30 and Sheridan Road.

Work on the west side

ArDOT is moving closer to wrapping up its work west of Interstate 530, Exit 34, on U.S. 270, and Hoggard expects it to wrap up by summer. It’s known as Sheridan Road in White Hall.

The road upgrades included widening the existing two-lane road to four lanes with a center turning lane and adding curbs, gutters, storm drains and sidewalks along both sides of the highway for about 2 miles.

“It’s a complicated job,” Hoggard said.

The heavy traffic flow, utility relocation and right-of-way negotiations slowed the start of the construction process.

Construction on the west side of I-530 began about a year ago.

While ArDOT’s project contractor, Redstone Construction Group of Little Rock, was working on the west side, several new businesses were built and opened, such as the four-story TownePlace Suites by Marriott; Relyance Bank’s three-story, 40,000-square-foot headquarters; and more.

This increased traffic congestion, but ArDOT and its contractor worked around it, Foster said.

Work on the east side

Once the New Year’s celebrations are over, ArDOT will begin focusing on the east side of Sheridan Road.

“The work is expected to get started this spring,” Hoggard said.

Work on the interstate’s east side also includes widening the existing two-lane road to four lanes with a center turning lane and adding curbs, gutters, storm drains and sidewalks along both sides of the highway.

For the most part, utilities have been moved back, but he said, “There are a couple of utility conflicts that we’re working on.”

Holland/Hoadley road improvements

Arkansas 256 is named Holland Ave. inside the city limits, starting from I-530. From near White Hall High School to the arsenal, it’s known as Hoadley Road.

The work on Holland Ave. and Hoadley road is complete, but Hoggard said, “The contractor is finishing punch-list items.”

A punch list in road construction is a detailed document that lists areas that need correction before the work is considered fully completed.

According to ArDOT, the work on Holland Ave. included milling and a 2-inch asphalt overlay on the three-lane roadway, which included one turning and two travel lanes.

It was a Pavement Preservation Project, which was done to extend the life of an existing road and make it safer for public travel, Hoggart said.

From Dollarway to the arsenal, the work on Hoadley Road consists of milling, a 2-inch overlay, and 2-foot shoulders on both sides of the road.

The Caney Creek Bridge on Hoadley Road also underwent renovations.

This included new approach gutters and transitional steel railing, which replaced the concrete wall leading up to the bridge.

Cranford Construction Co. of North Little Rock was the project’s contractor.

New arsenal gate

The funding for a new, modern $15 million Plainview Gate at the Pine Bluff Arsenal is a welcome development and will help keep the U.S. Army post viable for years to come.

According to Cheryl Avery, a civilian spokeswoman for the arsenal, approximately 1,000 civilian and military employees and personnel enter the arsenal daily, with about 11,000 tons of shipments coming and going annually. At this point, neither the Dexter nor the Plainview entrance gate adequately meets the arsenal’s commercial and employee needs.

Currently, commercial vehicles can only use the Dexter Gate entrance, which is a hazard due to the street-level railroad crossing. The Plainview Gate cannot handle commercial traffic because it is located at the end of a narrow, two-lane, narrow-shouldered highway.

Furthermore, there’s an 80-year-old bridge that can’t handle today’s larger, heavier commercial vehicles. A viaduct on Arkansas 256 keeps all traffic above passing trains, making Plainview the optimal choice.

Larry E. Wright of LE Wright & Associates PLLC, who was instrumental in obtaining the funding, said, “It is considered the safer option.”

Funding the upgrades

However, Wright said moving all the passenger and commercial traffic to Plainview Gate, Hoadley Road, would require major pavement upgrades and a new bridge.

Wright said that despite recent highway upgrades, Hoadley Road remains “inadequate,” and the Department of Defense’s Military Construction doesn’t fund road construction projects.

It would cost an estimated $10 million.