BENTONVILLE -- Local residents can get out and enjoy two new park projects on and around the Razorback Greenway.
David Wright, Bentonville parks director, said the city is finishing work on the cleanup and restoration of Town Branch Park at 401 S.E. Second St. The city also formally accepted a new, elevated mountain bike and pedestrian bridge over Northeast A Street on April 1.
The bridge -- located by an ongoing expansion of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art -- was donated by the Walton Family Foundation through the nonprofit Trailblazers and is part of the Razorback Greenway, according to Wright. A portion of the greenway was moved because of construction associated with the museum's project. The greenway runs about 40 miles from Fayetteville to Bella Vista.
TOWN BRANCH PARK
Wright said the Town Branch Park is about 1.2 acres. It's the first of the public spaces downtown the city plans to renovate before tying them all together with a pedestrian-only promenade on A Street as part of its Quilt of Parks project.
Wright explained the Town Branch Park project was more of an update and beautification effort by the city, rather than a major overhaul.
The work included cleaning up Town Branch Creek; restoring the stream bank; removing old cement picnic tables; and trail and landscaping improvements.
Town Branch Park is the gateway into downtown Bentonville for people coming in on the Razorback Greenway from the south, according to Wright.
The city's project at the park also allows an outlet from the greenway onto Southeast Second Street, providing access to restaurants and the future A Street Promenade space.
Wright said the park makes an "unbuildable area of land" available to the public.
"It's a great use of just the square footage of our downtown in creating an open space for people to gather and just enjoy nature," he said.
Arina Luangsiyotha, property manager for the Howard, a multifamily apartment community near Town Branch Park on Southeast Second Street, said she's thrilled construction has been completed for the project. She thinks the city did a very good job cleaning up the park and making it presentable.
"I think it'll be a nice addition, since it's right next to our property, just a nice other greenery that our tenants can enjoy," Luangsiyotha said.
Wright said the beautification project began in early November. Ecological Design Group designed the project while Milestone Construction handled the construction work. The total cost to the city was $642,964, which it covered with money from its general fund, the American Rescue Plan Act and the sale of property at 311 S.E. Henry St. in 2022.
The city will have a ribbon-cutting for the improved park in early May, Wright said.
NORTHEAST A STREET BRIDGE
Wright said construction for the mountain bike and pedestrian bridge began in July.
The two-lane bridge spans 1,053 feet -- including nearly 1,000 feet that's completely on piers -- across Northeast A Street and has two designated sides for different user groups, according to a news release from the city. One side is for the Razorback Greenway while the other is for the All-American Mountain Bike Trail.
The All-American Mountain Bike Trail -- which is about 2 miles long -- starts downtown at Compton Gardens and connects with the Slaughter Pen Trail in northern Bentonville. The bridge is at the one-mile mark for the trail and crosses Northeast A Street where the public restrooms are at 906 N.E. A St., west of Crystal Bridges and south of Northeast Park Street, according to Wright.
Wright said the bridge provides the safest route possible to connect people to a variety of places -- such as Bentonville's City Square, Walmart's new headquarters campus, the Slaughter Pen Trail and Bella Vista -- via a cycling and pedestrian network. He argued while Northeast A Street isn't "the busiest road in the world," the bridge prevents any interaction between vehicles and the pedestrians and cyclists.
"It's a good grade as you're walking from the bottom to the top," Wright said. "It's real comforting, and it's unique because as you're going up that hill, I mean, you're walking through the treetops, and while it's really cool to walk up right now, wait until June or July when the leaves are out and you're literally walking amongst the tree limbs. It will be a spectacular experience."
Wright said Trailblazers, a group dedicated to developing a recreational and active transportation infrastructure network in the region, developed the bridge project in collaboration with Parks and Recreation staff.
Erin Rushing, chief executive officer of Trailblazers, said there isn't anything else like the bridge, which is on city property, in Bentonville. He said feedback he's received spoke favorably about being able to go through the trees in the area and see Crystal Bridges, adding the bridge will make for a "really neat" experience once the museum finishes its expansion.
The Walton Family Foundation fully funded the bridge project with two grants, according to Rushing. This included a grant the foundation awarded Trailblazers about four years ago for design and another it provided about one year ago for construction.
Rushing said Trailblazers hired Crawford, Murphy & Tilly as the engineer for the project and Crossland Heavy Contractors as the contractor.
The city left the bridge closed after receiving it to allow Crossland to continue working on the site around it, according to Wright. It opened the bridge April 5 ahead of the Run Bentonville Half Marathon April 6, during which it served as part of the route.
The city will have a ribbon-cutting for the new bridge at 5 p.m. May 8, according to the city news release. Bentonville Parks and Recreation will be responsible for upkeep and maintenance of the bridge.