RISON - Rison Mayor Charles Roberts is encouraging residents to submit comments to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) asking it to consider building a sidewalk along the Magnolia Street (Hwy. 35) overpass in Rison in its new improvement plan.
ARDOT is currently taking public comments on the Arkansas State Highway Commission’s Draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for Federal Fiscal Years 2027-2030.
While the Hwy. 35 overpass is inside the Rison city limits, it is part of the stae highway system and is maintained by ARDOT, which means any improvements must be carried out by the state.
Comments regarding the STIP plan can be mailed to Ms. Keli Wylie, P.E. Assistant Chief Engineer – Program Delivery, Arkansas Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, AR 72203. Comments can also be emailed to STIP@ardot.gov
The public is invited to review and comment on the Draft STIP plan through July 28. The plan can be viewed and downloaded at www.ardot.gov/STIP. Copies of the Draft STIP are also available by mail when requested through ARDOT’s Program Management Division at (501) 569-2262.
The overpass was originally built in 1937 to provide uninterrupted traffic flow over the Union Pacific railroad tracks in Rison. The overpass was added the National Register of Historic Places in May 2021.
While there is a sidewalk along the north/east side at the top of the overpass, there are no sidewalks leading to it. Pedestrians have to either walk inside the guard rails, which puts them within about 3 feet of the traffic, or outside the guard rails, which puts them on a narrow path at the top of a steep embankment.
Roberts has expressed concern about the safety of pedestrians crossing over the bridge since he became mayor.
“I don’t know if we could get an actual number per day, but I’ll guarantee there are probably a couple dozen people during the course of a day walking over that bridge,” Roberts said during the Free Range Convers…