Community Project Funding FY24
COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING, FISCAL YEAR 2024
Project: U.S. Highway 82 Corridor Improvements
Requested Federal Funding Amount: $5,000,000
Additional Information and Request Justification: The purpose of this project is to provide for improvements to the U.S. Highway 82 corridor in Ashley, Chicot, Columbia, and Union Counties. These improvements consist of the construction of various structures and approaches, major widening, and a railroad grade separation on various sections of Highway 82. The benefits of this project include increased safety, mobility, enhanced economic opportunities, and improved intermodal connectivity and reliability of the regional transportation system.
This request is supported by the State of Arkansas and is included on the Arkansas Department of Transportation’s State Transportation Improvement Plan. Arkansas Department of Transportation 2023-2026 STIP identification numbers: 070458, 070471, 020770, 020676, 020771, 020772, 020773, 020768, 020675, and 020769.
This is a highway project eligible for federal funding under 23 U.S.C. 133(b).
Project: Texarkana Regional Airport Runway Extension
Requested Federal Funding Amount: $8,100,000
Additional Information and Request Justification: The project will allow the Texarkana Regional Airport (TXK) to extend the airport’s primary runway by an additional 500 feet and install new navigational lights associated with the extension. TXK is the largest airport in the 4th District of Arkansas and serves Arkansas and Texas. An expanded runway will provide greater access to the Texarkana MSA, which has a population of roughly 150,000, is at the junction of I-49 and I-69, and supports two large university systems. The expanded runway will assist in bringing business development to the airport and the local community at large.
TXK is an incredibly important economic engine to the local community and is a vital element of the national airport system. A recent study by the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics found that TXK supports nearly 500 jobs with a total payroll of $15.4 million and an annual economic output of $38.8 million. The runway extension project will allow for larger, heavier planes to use the airport and access commercial services for aircraft maintenance that are expected to grow around the airport. The project will also help the airport achieve long-term financial self-sufficiency.
The project has a Federal nexus because the funding provided is for purposes authorized by 49 U.S.C. 47100 et seq.
Project: Red River Below Denison Dam – Items 9A and 9B
Requested Federal Funding Amount: $8,800,000
Additional Information and Request Justification: The project will be conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District and will provide flood protection to 1.7 million acres, half of which are behind levees. Items 9A and 9B of the Red River Levee rehabilitation project (Red River Below Denison Dam) will provide protection from crop damage, loss of livestock, damage to railroads, highways, and other development from floods on a nearly 30-mile stretch of the Red River from the Hempstead/Lafayette County line in Arkansas southward to approximately 1 mile north of the Maniece Bayou in Lafayette County.
Prior levee rehabilitation work did not meet post-Hurricane Katrina levee standards. Levees in this area are not up to federal standards, thereby creating higher potential for poor performance during flood events, including damage to homes, farms, and infrastructure. Levee rehabilitation conducted by USACE is essential in this area.
The project has a federal nexus because the funding provided is for purposes authorized by Section 201 of the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1962 (P.L. 87-874).
Project: Red River Emergency Bank Stabilization – Dickson Revetment
Requested Federal Funding Amount: $5,000,000
Additional Information and Request Justification: The project will provide for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (UASCE) to construct additional phases of the Dickson Revetment as part of the Red River Emergency Bank Stabilization Project. The Vicksburg District completed Phase 1 of 5 of the project and has a $5 million capability to complete additional phases in FY24.
Additional phases will be adjacent to the current Phase 1 revetment and will prevent continued erosion towards a levee in the Long Prairie Levee District. The project provides for protection of critical infrastructure and land along the Red River, including the construction of Dickson Revetment. The bank stabilization will be conducted on the Red River within the area served by the Long Prairie Levee District in Lafayette County, Arkansas.
The project has a federal nexus because the funding provided is for purposes authorized by Section 101 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1968 and Section 187 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1976.