Manhattan Road & Bridge, part of the Manhattan Construction Group of Tulsa, has been awarded the first of four projects to construct the next portion of Interstate 49 between Highway 22 in Barling and Interstate 40 in Alma, the state Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
Under a $282.5 million contract, the company will build a 3.1-mile stretch of I-49 between Highway 22 and Gun Club Road that includes a new bridge across the Arkansas River. It’s the first part of a project that will help close the 162-mile gap to completion of the nation’s Mid-South I-49 transcontinental corridor.
Ultimately, the project will help link the Gulf Coast with the central U.S. and Canada, the Transportation Department said in a news release. The north-south corridor will also connect to six of the nation’s existing National Highway Freight Network routes, enhancing international and domestic commerce while improving mobility in the region.
The full project, from design to construction, is estimated to cost about $1.3 billion, surpassing the $1.15 billion Interstate 30 Crossing project as the most expensive highway project in state history. It’s being funded by a combination of federal-aid highway funding, federal grants, congressionally-designated spending and state funds.
The Transportation Department’s design consultant on the project is HTNB Corp. of Kansas City, Missouri.
The new bridge across the Arkansas River will be part of 14-mile segment of I-49 from Highway 22 to I-40 between Barling and Alma, just east of Fort Smith. Interchanges will be constructed at Highway 22, Gun Club Road, Clear Creek Road and I-40. Gun Club Road will be improved to highway standards between future I-49 and Highway 59.
The timeline for completing the 14-mile segment is uncertain, though it’s expected it will take several years.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said the new bridge will relieve traffic congestion and facilitate economic development throughout the region. “It’s a critical piece of the I-49 Extension, and I am excited that the Arkansas Department of Transportation is taking this important step forward in turning this project into reality,” he said.
Keith Gibson, a member of the Arkansas Highway Commission, said, “When combined with the area’s major railway systems and waterway transportation opportunities, I-49 will generate significant economic benefits and development not only to the region but to the entire state of Arkansas.”
The extension of I-49 is not the first major Arkansas highway project for Manhattan Road & Bridge. The company, which has offices in Little Rock and northwest Arkansas, completed an $87.3 million project to widen Interstate 630 in Little Rock in 2020.
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