Arkansas Receives $5 Million Federal Grant For Highway Improvements In Greene, Desha and Lincoln Counties

Federal Highway Administration
23 March 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Contact: Stephanie Roth
(202) 366-0660
FHWA 03-06b

Washington, DC – Arkansas is receiving $5 million in federal grants to build a bypass around Paragould in Greene County and to widen U.S. 65 in Desha and Lincoln Counties, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today.

The grants are part of a federal program that supports transportation infrastructure and economic development in the Delta region of the U.S.

"Investing in new road projects will help countless travelers and residents alike better connect to the heart, spirit and soul of the Delta region," said Mineta. "The Paragould bypass and improvements to U.S. 65 will help fuel the region’s economy and provide more choices and convenience to drivers."

The Department of Transportation is providing more than $24 million in grants to eight states in the Delta region. In addition to Arkansas, states receiving grants are Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

The highway, transit and safety law signed by President Bush in August 2005 provides an additional $40 million for transportation projects in the Delta region. It also provides $1 million to the Delta Regional Authority for a study of transportation needs and priorities in the eight states. The Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership established to further economic development in the Delta.