BENTONVILLE -- Work is underway on a hard-surface trail that will extend the Razorback Greenway and connect it to the Blowing Springs Trail in Bella Vista.
The project has two parts, said Erin Rushing, executive director of NWA Trailblazers, which is building the trail. The Trailblazers is a nonprofit organization that develops cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Northwest Arkansas.
First, there will be an extension of the greenway north from Bella Vista Lake in Bentonville and west of the Veterans Wall of Honor in Bella Vista. The 12-foot-wide, 2,700-foot-long concrete trail will run west of Sugar Creek Soccer Park and stop just short of the Mercy Way bridge northwest of Mercy Hospital, Rushing said.
The 36-mile Razorback Greenway connects Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville with a paved pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists. Its grand opening was held in May 2015. The $38 million project was largely funded by federal grants and the Walton Family Foundation.
The second part of the project will be a spur that connects to Blowing Springs Trail, a 6-mile soft-surface trail used by mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners. That concrete connection will be 10 feet wide and 2,400 feet long, according to Rushing.
Work on the project began Oct. 9 and is scheduled to be completed by spring.
Bentonville owns Bella Vista Lake Park. Bentonville Public Schools and Cooper Communities both gave easements for the project, as the trail will run through their properties, Rushing said.
"The extension of the greenway into Bella Vista will provide exposure to our city and some of its great features, but it will also increase connectivity among other cities in the region, which we are proud to be a part of," Bella Vista Mayor Peter Christie said in a statement.
Bella Vista has become so much more than the city north of Bentonville where retirees live, he said, noting that young families are moving in.
"But the thing that has stayed the same and is really the heart of Bella Vista is the community's collective love for the outdoors and for active, healthy lifestyles, and so extending the trail only makes sense," Christie said.
Bentonville will be responsible for the ongoing operations and maintenance costs of the trail section that remains in Bentonville, said David Wright, parks and recreation director. There won't be an increase in cost since the city already owns that land, he said.
The city limits essentially reach Dartmoor Road just north of Mercy Hospital.
"It basically is the first step of extending the Razorback Greenway into Bella Vista," Wright said of the project.
Bentonville has 27.6 miles of hard-surface trails, according to Wright.
Metro on 10/30/2017