A plan to connect a greater portion of Arkansas to Mississippi River bicycle projects got a unanimous OK on Tuesday morning from the 19-member east Arkansas panel that oversees the St. Francis levee.
Citing the potential economic boom in a growing bicycle tourism market, President Stephen Higginbotham said the St. Francis Levee District board of directors decided to open up all parts of the levee to public use for the first time, which will allow for the creation of a bicycle and pedestrian trail on the levee.
"In certain sections, we thought it was best to keep people off of it, because they really just didn't have any business out there," Higginbotham said. "It's just always been strictly for flood control, and that's what they're for."
But the economic possibilities changed the board's mind, he said.
"The popularity of biking is really growing," said Richard Davies, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
The new trail will help Arkansas tap into that, proponents said.
"It's big. It's really huge," said Terry Eastin, director of the Big River Strategic Initiative.
The initiative works on bicycle trail projects in the Delta, among other tourism, economic and educational efforts. Eastin and others worked with the St. Francis Levee District to approve the use of the levee as a bicycle and pedestrian trail.
A report compiled for the initiative by McVean Trading & Investments Inc. of Memphis said bicycle tourists tend to spend more money than other types of tourists and that the central United States is lagging in international tourism. The report identifies a trail project along the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana and a bridge crossing the river from Tennessee to Arkansas as potential sources of growth.
"Do not bet against a minimum of 50,000 new jobs on the lower Mississippi within 2 years of The Grand Opening of The Big River Crossing and The Big River Parkway," the report states.
The St. Francis levee trail will connect to a bridge being built across the Mississippi River from Memphis to West Memphis, then stretch dozens of miles down the levee to Marianna. After that, the trail will meet the Arkansas Delta Heritage Trail State Park, which snakes down to Arkansas City.
The trails will also be part of the Mississippi River Trail project, an expanse of trails starting at Minnesota's Twin Cities and ending in New Orleans. Officials are working to obtain enough funds to join a National Geographic Society project highlighting the Mississippi River Trail as a geo-tourism destination.
Unlike the St. Francis levee portion, much of the Mississippi River Trail is on roads and not isolated, said Eastin, a board member for the Mississippi River Trail project.
The St. Francis levee trail will feature a crushed limestone path atop the levee, with gates designed to keep out vehicles and four-wheelers. The total cost is unknown.
Eastin said the Big River Strategic Initiative plans to fund the levee trail at no cost to the Levee District by using private donations and grants. The cost could be as much as $3 million, Eastin said.
Higginbotham said he hopes the trail will be open in two years. The district, along with the initiative, will work with engineers to complete the path, he said.
Eastin said the project will begin as soon as funding is secured.
Higginbotham views the levee trail as a starting point for offshoot trails that could further expand tourism. He said people have already discussed offshoot trails to northeast Arkansas and other tourist destinations, such as the Johnny Cash museum in Dyess.
"This is just the beginning," he said.
Metro on 07/16/2014