Construction Finishing Up on New Highway Department Facility

By the beginning of next year, the Arkansas Highway Department hopes to have its Fort Smith District Four facilities consolidated at a new location.

The $12 million project which begin in 2007 could be finished as soon as December though, according to district engineer Joe Shipman.

The new facility will offer many improvements over their current Towson Avenue location including bringing headquarters for administration, maintenance and highway police all together at the same location at Chaffee Crossing alongside what will become Interstate 49, Shipman said.

Shipman’s district includes highways as far south as Grannis northwards to Springdale.

“So it will afford us ready access to Interstate 540, Highway 22 and Highway 71 to conduct our operations more efficiently,” he said.

The new 40-acre site was made available to the state 10 years ago when Fort Chaffee turned the land over to the redevelopment authority, Shipman said. The current Towson Avenue facility has been in use since the late 50s.