The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department will hold two meetings next week to solicit comment on a new statewide rail plan and the possibility of extending high-speed passenger rail service in the state.
The first meeting will be held Tuesday at the Transit and Safety Resource Center at the Arkansas Transit Association headquarters at 620 W. Broadway St. in North Little Rock.
The second meeting will be held Sept. 25 at the River Parks Events Building at 121 Riverfront Drive in Fort Smith.
Both meetings will last from 4 to 7 p.m.
The department encourages the public to attend the meetings and submit comments. People attending will be able to watch a short presentation that will repeat throughout the duration of the meeting, the department said. The study teams for the statewide rail plan and the high-speed passenger rail study also will be available to provide information and answer questions.
As the state's rail planning agency, the department has the responsibility to coordinate the development of statewide transportation plans, including preparation of the Arkansas State Rail Plan.
The plan is a step in charting a direction for freight and passenger rail in the state and is required for Arkansas to be eligible for existing and prospective federal rail funding.
More information about the plan as well as the opportunity to submit comments is available at www.arkansasrailplan.com.
At the same time, the department said it is studying the feasibility of high-speed rail in the state.
The High-Speed Passenger Rail Feasibility Study consists of evaluating an extension of the South Central High-Speed Rail Corridor from Little Rock to Memphis, preparation of a service development plan for the existing Little Rock to Texarkana corridor, and a study of possible impacts of high-speed passenger rail service on Arkansas' highway system.
Metro on 09/17/2014