FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2019
Contact: Matt Mihalevich
Trails Coordinator
Engineering Department
479.575.3416
mmihalevich@fayetteville-ar.gov
City Celebrates Old Wire Road Improvements and Cycle Track to Gulley Park
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— Mayor Lioneld Jordan invites the community to a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating recent improvements to Old Wire Road and the new cycle track. The event begins at 3 p.m. on Monday, November 4 at Gulley Park’s west parking lot entrance (2566 Old Wire Road).
The multi-phased Old Wire Road Improvement Project is funded through 2006 and 2019 bond initiatives, grants, and state funds. The overarching goal of the project is to more fully integrate Old Wire Road into the City’s network of trails and roadways. Additional project goals include:
- improving traffic safety with streetlights, traffic signals, and new pavement
- creating pedestrian and bicyclist amenities which encourage alternative transportation and access to Gulley Park and neighborhoods
- adding drainage infrastructure to accommodate substantial stormwater
The Walton Family Foundation provided significant funding to construct the cycle track which is the first of its kind in the Northwest Arkansas region. The initial phase runs along the east side of Old Wire Road, measuring .9 miles in length from Ash Street to Gulley Park. The design includes an elevated five-foot-wide pedestrian sidewalk, north- and southbound bicycle lanes with a dedicated traffic signal for crossing at Township Street, and a curbed concrete buffer with lighting. The four-foot-wide buffer creates safer travel conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians by separating them from vehicle traffic. It also makes space for residential trash carts and mailboxes which are obstacles in older developments. A signalized crosswalk was added at Stanton Avenue, creating a safe crossing to Gulley Park. The City used drainage ditches and purchased adjacent right-of-way land to accommodate the project without narrowing vehicle travel lanes.
City staff recently placed a counter on the cycle track and sidewalk for 10 days. The total number of trips was 915 with a daily average of 83 trips. The number of trips is expected to increase in 2020, upon completion of the Niokaska Trail and second phase of the cycle track which offer connections to Mud Creek Trail and the Razorback Regional Greenway.
The most recent Old Wire Road improvements, from Ash Street to Gulley Park, cost $3.9 million and was funded through a combination of 2006 voter-approved bond funds, a 1:1 matching grant from the Walton Family Foundation, and funds from the City’s Water and Sewer budget. The next phase of the project is from Gulley Park to Old Missouri Road. Information about all the Old Wire Road improvements and other bond-funded projects can be found at the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” section of the City’s website.
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