CROSSET, AR — Senator Ben Gilmore, State Representative Howard Beaty, Crossett Mayor Crystal Marshall, Director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) Lorie Tudor, ARDOT Deputy Director & Chief Engineer Rex Vines, and ARDOT Assistant Chief Engineer for Planning Jared Wiley recently celebrated the completion of almost four miles of highway improvements in Crossett, Arkansas.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the total resurfacing of Highways 133 and 169, which was completed in less than six months. The $2.3-million project was let in November of 2021 and completed late May 2022.

“This particular stretch is their main street,” ARDOT Public Information Officer Dave Parker said. “It goes right through Crossett with businesses on each side. That [the highway] is their main way into town as people visit that area. And now, they’re driving through almost four miles of perfect, new, paved road. I think it gives the people there more pride, and it certainly helps safety-wise. I think it also helps with commerce. Aesthetically, it makes you want to come down there and see it and drive it.”

The project was taken on by ARDOT quicker than anticipated, due to a partnership with the City of Crossett. ARDOT expedited the project after the city contributed funds to take ownership of the highway after the work was complete.

“I like any time we can help a city or county, big or small,” Parker said. “Crossett certainly is a pretty small town. We could work with them to come up with a solution to get their project taken care of quicker. They agreed to take ownership of it once it’s done, and they came to the table with a certain amount of funding. It’s a win-win. They get their need taken care of in a quick, safe, efficient way and take ownership of that road. That takes it off our hands.

“We have 16,000-plus miles of highway here in Arkansas, the 12th largest in the country. That’s a lot of miles to maintain and be responsible for, so any time a city or county comes to us and says, ‘Look, we have a suggestion for how we can work this out,’ it’s a great thing. … We were able to come up with a plan to work with the city, and it was a perfect little model for how things should work.”

Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel was the primary contractor for the project, and Riley Paving and the Johnsville Co. was the subcontractor that placed the asphalt and completed the milling work.