Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Overpass project closer to reality

An overpass for Prescott took another step to becoming a reality Friday as the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Transportation Reauthorization Bill.

Arkansas will receive $2.3 billion over the next five fiscal years, according to information from Senator Mark Pryor and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, along with Congressmen Mike Ross, Vic Snyder, John Boozman and Marion Berry. This will be broken down into five payments of $476.4 million.

In a phone interview with Congressman Ross, he said the Senate should pass the bill before adjourning Friday afternoon.

However, what is of interest to residents of Prescott and Nevada County is a $3.168 million allocation to develop an overpass connecting U.S. Highways 371 and 67.

This money will totally build the overpass, Ross said. I hope well be able to cross the tracks within two years.

The highway bill, he said, is done every six years, and the Arkansas Highway Department will receive payments over this period of time. However, according to Ross, the AHD has agreed to begin the project once the bill is signed by President George W. Bush. This, Ross said, should occur after the bill is approved by the Senate.

I hope this demonstrates I havent forgotten where I come from, Ross said. Prescott is home. Except for the time I have to be in Washington, Im at home in Prescott with my family.

This was the right thing to do, he said of getting money for the overpass project. People have died there. Prescott may be the only town on the main rail line between Dallas and Memphis without either an under or overpass. Its a huge safety concern. The ambulance and fire department have had to wait before.

Ross thanked Senators Lincoln and Pryor for their help on the bill. He had originally asked for $2.6 million for the overpass project, but the two Senators added an additional $528,000, which will be enough to fully construct the overpass.

Both Prescott Police Chief Sam Reeder and Nick Hibbs, owner of the Nevada County Ambulance Service agreed the overpass will be nothing but beneficial to them.

It will do nothing but help us, Hibbs said. We wont have to wait for trains to pass, and it will decrease out call time on the East side of the tracks.

Reeder said it will give the PPD better access to both sides of the tracks without having to wait. It will help traffic out quite a bit. We wont have to worry about the ambulance or fire trucks getting across because of the trains.

Weve been waiting on this a while.

And it has been a wait. The Transportation Reauthorization Bill has been extended 11 times since October 2003 when the bill initially expired. Ross called the passage of the bill a long overdue roadmap for transportation funding in America.

The funding will go a long way in meeting Arkansass excessive road needs. As an economic ambassador for Arkansas I am proud to have helped secure the funding throughout the lengthy transportation process.

According to Ross, the money from the bill will be used to create new highways, repair dilapidated infrastructure and create jobs and economic opportunities for the future.

Information from the U.S. Department of Transportation states for every $1 billion invested in the nations highways, 47,500 jobs are created annually.

Lincoln agreed with the importance of the bills passage saying it is desperately needed for communities in the state. The projects this bill will fund are long overdue and are vital to our states economy.

It will pay off in dividends for our economy and the quality of life in Arkansas, Pryor said.