By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
It’s not too late to let Metroplan know your priorities for central Arkansas, and you can do that via the Internet.
Every five years, the federal government requires Metroplan to submit an updated long-range transportation plan by January.
You can submit or weigh in on ideas for the area’s future online at http://imaginecentralarkansas.ideascale.com.
Imagine Central Arkansas is the vehicle Metroplan and its consultants are using to help collect and assess the wants and needs of central Arkansans for the 2040 long-range transportation plan. The plan includes not only roadways and highways, but also lifestyle factors, like bike paths and sidewalks, more mass transit and sustainability, such as continuing to turn home construction back toward the center of the cities instead of continuing urban sprawl.
Only projects on the fiscally-constrained plan can be implemented unless it is later amended.
Funds must be identified for a project to be on that plan. That is why it’s financially or fiscally constrained.
VISION PLAN
The vision plan would link the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan statistical areas to each other, the global economy and the other parts of the region. It will seek to maximize the mobility of people and goods, minimize transportation-related fuel consumption and air pollution and support sustainable land-development patterns.
SIX GOALS
Six goals were identified to support the vision.
They are:
economic growth,
equality of access and transportation choices,
environmental quality,
development,
quality transportation corridors and
funding adequacy.
It is that last piece -- funding adequacy — that is critical to reach the vision, according to Jim McKenzie, Metroplan executive director.
Some specifics of the new vision would improve local and regional transit, bikeways, regional arterial network and widen freeways to three lanes in each direction.
IDENTIFY FUNDS
All of these were first identified for the 2020 long-range plan formulated about 20 years ago.
In order to build new roads, highways, bridges and railroad overpasses or even to maintain existing infrastructure, the projects must be included on Metroplan’s long-range financially constrained plan. The new plan is due in January.
Among the popular ideas discussed on the Imagine Central Arkansas website are for all cities to provide transportation alternatives for everyone, including seniors, bicyclists, walkers and handicapped residents. One suggestion is that cities need sidewalks and all new developments should have them.
Another suggested improvement is completion of the River Trail — especially the portion between Broadway Bridge and Riverdale.
Other ideas include:
Focus on infilling and rebuilding in old populated areas instead of building new subdivisions further out from the city centers.
Buses should continue at night after 9 p.m., especially on weekends.
There should be more parks and natural areas, trains and better downtown housing options, like energy-efficient homes in sustainable, walkable communities.
The passenger rail between Conway and Little Rock should be improved.
Vibrant streets, squares and public places are needed.
Additional outreach in the fall and winter will focus on providing the public opportunities to 1) learn about the challenges facing the region and the vision crafted to meet those challenges, 2) review a proposed list of transportation projects and funding necessary to deploy those projects within the plan period and 3) most importantly, to make known their voice on whether the draft Imagine Central Arkansas Vision and financially constrained transportation plan have met their expectations in achieving the future for transportation that is different than today’s reality.
While most of the new plan will be carried over from the current plan, road construction is getting more and more expensive while federal, state and local highway and transportation revenues are expected to decline by about 135 percent between now and 2040, according to a draft of the plan.
Projections suggest about $19.2 billion statewide is needed to build and maintain infrastructure, but the most optimistic revenue projection is $7.2 billion. The estimate includes federal, state and local contributions.
With the dedicated half-cent sales tax expiring between 2022 and 2023, the revenue will drop by $50 million a year. The elimination of the federal subsidy to the transportation trust fund is expected to drop revenues between now and 2040 by $6.7 billion a year.
Much of highway funds come from a federal tax per gallon of fuel. People have begun driving less and fuel efficiency has increased. That means less fuel will be purchased and revenue will be lost.
With implementation of federal transportation fuel efficiency standards — CAFE standards — even less revenue will be collected under the current system.
In all, the state could have as little as $6 billion for its highway needs between now and 2040. That’s not even enough to maintain existing roadways.
Today, it costs about $10 million a mile to widen a highway. But, by 2040, the cost could more than double to $23.4 million a mile.
McKenzie said that is why finding new revenues — by implementing new fees and taxes — is a top priority of the goals set for the 2040 vision.
