Hino bridge work delayed

Hino bridge work delayed

Rehab project awaiting Highway Department approval

news@theeveningtimes.com

City officials are still waiting on final approval for the Hino Road bridge rehabilitation.

Expense for the muchneeded repair work is being shared by West Memphis and Marion, as the road marks the border between the two largest cities in the county. But the job can’t start until the paperwork is finished.

Both the West Memphis MPO Citizens Committee and the West Memphis Public Works Committee held meetings this week where the boards heard the project start is being held up.

West Memphis Economic Director Phillip Sorrell brought the news to the city meeting. April had been the hoped for start date.

“We still don’t have final approval on the plans from the highway department,” said Sorrell. “Our engineer is just now submitting the final design review correc- tions. We have right-of-way issues to satisfy state requirements as well.”

The delay will push the anticipated 60-day project to late May or early June.

The bridge will be closed and detours set up in the busy industrial and intermodal area for the duration of the project. Sorrell said he has kept businesses like the Union Pacific facility in the area up to speed.

“As soon as we have a definitive schedule we’ll have a meeting to vet it and go over the construction schedule,” said Sorrell.

The Citizens meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization met the same day and heard the same news from Study Director Eddie Brawley. The director provided a bridge history to set the context for the right of way issue.

“There has been hold ups with Arkansas Highway Transportation issues,” said Brawley. “There are right of way issues. The road was built by federal people in ‘98. I don’t know if the right of way was just assumed but we can’t find records of when it was recorded. But its been there under city and county maintenance long enough that its obviously its a public roadway. Now it just a matter of getting AHTD to

accept that part of it.”

By John Rech