By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
Drivers traveling along Hwy. 64 West near Beebe will see the start of a 3-mile widening project next year.
The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department held a public meeting about the project last week at Union Valley Baptist Church. About 50 people came out to seek information on the highway improvements, which will cost between $7 million and $10 million.
According to Jon Hetzel, communications manager for Garver Engineering, Hwy. 64 will be widened to four lanes with a paved median from Turner Road to Brock Road.
Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2015 and be completed in two years. “It is to improve safety, in-crease capacity and improve efficiency of the roadway. It is a connection between Beebe and Conway,” Hetzel said.
The project is part of the Connecting Arkansas Program. It is being funding through a voter-approved 10-year half-cent state sales tax to improve highway and infrastructure projects in the state.
The Hwy. 64 project is one of 31 projects in the program.