HIGHFILL -- Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport officials hope to start required public input sessions for a proposed southern access road to the airport just after the first of the year.
Highway crews are moving earth for an interchange just south of Cave Springs that will be part of the U.S. 412 Bypass and the jumping off point for the access road.
Tidbits
In other action, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Board:
• Delayed a recommendation on a site for a proposed parking deck. Passenger numbers have been higher than estimated by 7 percent to 10 percent for the past two years and board members said they want to update the 20-year passenger forecast before making a final decision to ensure they build a big enough deck. About 400 parking spaces are currently being added to lots.
• Approved $78,000 for renovations to the check point and common areas of the terminal. East Harding Construction will do the work.
• Approved $522,000 for terminal and restroom renovations. Milestone Construction will do the work.
• Approved buying a new tractor from Williams Tractor for $67,968.
Source: Staff Report
The bypass route runs from Interstate 49 near the Wagon Wheel Road interchange east to Arkansas 112.
The access road is expected to be a restricted access highway about 4 miles long and will connect where the bypass intersects with Arkansas 112. The airport has about $14 million in federal money for the estimated $30 million project and is working to find the rest.
Scott Van Laningham, executive director, said officials want to be ready to go as soon as they get permission from the state highway department and federal environmental authorities.
Consultants hope to have by next month's board meeting an analysis of origin and destination from drivers, traffic counts, a vegetation survey, a survey of the Arkansas Darter in waterways and an air quality study.
By the Sept. 30 meeting, they hope to have a traffic generation report, a proposed schedule for land acquisition and design and construction, noise modeling and a list of items to be included or excluded in the final design and construction of the road.
By December, they hope to have environmental impact studies submitted to state and federal highway officials and to be in position to request public input hearings about the location of the road. There are two potential routes, both around the southwest side of Cave Springs and outside the Cave Springs Recharge Area.
A slight snag has come up in settling a federal lawsuit over repairs to the airport's main runway, Van Laningham told board members Wednesday.
The contractor has a punch list of items that have to be done before airport officials pay the last $307,000 agreed to in a settlement. Most of the items are done but there is disagreement about one item, an electronic survey, that could cost $50,000 to $100,000.
"We need to get this project behind us," Van Laningham said. "We just want the contractors to do what they said they'd do in the agreement and so far they haven't."
Board members said they have no interest in negotiating the issue further with W.L Harper and Sons.
"I'd tell them to finish their part of the work and we'll cut you a check," board member Art Morris said.
Harper, general contractors on the project, sued the airport authority and the engineers overseeing the project for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, claiming they hadn't been paid for work or materials and couldn't pay subcontractors for their work.
Airport officials denied any wrongdoing and filed a counterclaim seeking damages for breach of contract and breach of implied warranty.
A compromise was hammered out during mediation.
The $26.1 million project should have been done by the end of 2013. The contract was let in June 2012.
NW News on 07/30/2015