Project Description

Little Rock voters passed a 3/8 cent sales tax in 2011 to fund street and drainage improvements for the City. It was anticipated that the tax would generate $72 million in capital funding over a 10-year period. Little Rock’s Public Works Department solicited project requests from across the City to equitably distribute the benefit from the tax to all of its citizens. This project was one of the improvements selected for implementation in Ward 1. Located in an older Little Rock neighborhood, 17th Street between Brown and Woodrow was a narrow roadway without the benefit of curb, gutter, or other beneficial drainage devices. The road section itself had degraded to a state of disrepair from years of service. The purpose of this project was to help revitalize the neighborhood by improving drainage and reconstructing the street surface. The budget for this project was $1,000,000. Hawkins-Weir Engineers worked closely with Public Works to find innovative ways to reduce project cost. The low bid received in August 2014 was more than 50% below budget at approximately $478,000. The City used the savings on this project to make other badly needed improvements to it streets.