Of course the widening of Interstate 30 was going to come up during a recent panel discussion in Little Rock that centered on downtown development.
What the expansion of I-30 could do to downtowns on both sides of the river has been a popular topic in central Arkansas over the past year. Opponents of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department proposal have suggested a number of alternatives to the agency's plan for the 6.7-mile stretch of aging and congested interstate that cuts through downtowns in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
Panelists at the Clinton School of Public Service program included Walton Family Foundation Home Region Director Karen Minkel, Downtown Little Rock Partnership Executive Director Gabe Holmstrom, Main Street Arkansas Director Greg Phillips and Victor Dover of Miami, a charter member and former board member of the Congress of New Urbanism.
During the one-hour session, they touched on topics ranging from the democracy of downtowns (Minkel), the need for additional tax credits to help with historic preservation projects (Holmstrom) and the role that vibrant downtowns play in economic development and recruitment of new businesses (Phillips).
Once the floor was opened for questions, the conversation immediately shifted to the I-30 proposal. After about 5 seconds of silence after the first question, Dover spoke up.
Either by sheer luck or, perhaps, a previously agreed upon course of action, it was the out-of-state panelist who took the question. Before offering his thoughts that the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department should eliminate "highway" from its name and refocus its mission, Dover stressed that he wasn't a strict adherent to "horse and buggy" culture.
Still, he suggested that state leaders and residents of the city and state be mindful that cars are a great choice for transportation but should not be a prerequisite for survival in a town. Encouraging and investing in other modes of transportation -- walking, biking, public transit -- should be the priority of city and transportation planners going forward.
Dover's firm, Dover Kohl & Partners, has done city planning work for Siloam Springs, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Montgomery, Ala. and Richmond, Va., among others. Most successful downtown revitalizations were built around a "local distinctiveness" that wasn't interrupted by busy roadways and traffic congestion.
"It sounds like a diagnosis," Dover joked of AHTD, the initials for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. "I only know just a little bit on the 30-crossing controversy. My instinctive response is: If you're taking time as a community to have a big, calm conversation about this before you make another massive investment in car infrastructure, it's probably wise. You may, in the end, decide to do it or some version of it, but to be able to pause, to consider all the pros and cons, it will be worth it."
Consideration should be given to whether road projects make it difficult for residents to walk back and forth across a town. He also said it is important to think through segments of town that are already cut off from their neighbors because of previous road projects.
"Are you tearing out big chunks of community fabric that have already been traumatized by the last project?"
A 10-lane project will not likely be any less congested than a six-lane roadway, Dover said. And the $630 million price tag for that 6.7-mile stretch of road might be better spent elsewhere.
"You can't build your way out of congestion," Dover said.
Condolences to the family, friends and former co-workers of former USA Truck CEO John Simone.
Simone died last week at the age of 54. He took a leave of absence from the Van Buren company in April 2015 and resigned in July after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
USA Truck hired Simone in 2013 to help the company stem five consecutive years of losses. During his first and only full year with the company it posted a $6 million profit.
Simone, at least in my experience, was a rare breed among CEOs of publicly traded companies. He was accessible, and more often than not was willing to discuss -- one-on-one -- how decisions that he and company leaders made would affect shareholders and employees.
A native of New Haven, Conn., Simone began his career in the trucking industry as an apprentice diesel mechanic.
If you have a tip, call Chris Bahn at (479) 365-2972 or email him at
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SundayMonday Business on 04/03/2016