By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Drivers in St. Francis, Cross and Lee counties can expect to see plenty of work on Arkansas Highway 1 this summer.
An apparent low bid was accepted Wednesday from APAC-Tennessee, for $6.37 million, which will widen 3.5 miles of Hwy. 1 in Marianna. According to Ray Woodruff, Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Engineer for District 1, the work will widen Hwy. 1 to four lanes along the stretch of highway formerly known as the Marianna bypass.
"This will widen the highway in Marianna to four lanes along what was once known as the Marianna bypass. It will cover both junctions with Hwy. 79, there at the red light and at the intersection near Kentucky Fried Chicken and will end at Hwy. 243, close to Lee Academy," Woodruff explained.
According to Woodruff, the widening is a part of a project which will eventually widen Hwy. 1 to four lanes, from Walnut Corner in Phillips County to Wynne. The project will also add passing lanes along Hwy. 1 north from Wynne to Jonesboro. Currently crews are working on adding lanes in two separate locations in Cross County.
"We've got two projects let on Hwy. 1 from Hwy. 64 to Cherry Valley. Each of those is about 1.5 miles, and they are projected to be finished by late summer. We've also got a project in District 10 which is adding passing lanes south, from Jonesboro back toward Wynne," Woodruff said.
According to Woodruff, St. Francis County could also see some work on Hwy. 1 this summer.
"We're in the process of getting the specs ready to let bids on work between Colt and Wynne to open the highway to four lanes that entire way. This is a long process, but people are beginning to see some progress," he said.
Of the 38 bid packages opened Wednesday by the state Highway Commission, none included repairs to interstates. Since Arkansas began its five-year, $950 million interstate construction project in 2000, the big money projects have generally involved interstate routes.
Other bids and apparent low bidders include: $7.99 million to build a bypass on Ark. 63, at Bono in Craighead County; $7.81 million to widen 5.0 miles of Ark. 62, from Rogers to Avoca in Benton County and $5.57 million to resurface and add shoulders to a 5.5 mile stretch of Ark. 59 between Cincinnati and Siloam Springs in Washington and Benton counties.
A total of $62,544,226 in bids were opened yesterday on projects ranging from road resurfacing and bypass construction to highway enhancements and sidewalk construction and repair. The largest bid, $10,230,147.55, was for construction of an interchange on Ark. 63 west of Jonesboro.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
March flooding is beginning to take a toll on wheat farmers in St. Francis County and across the state. According to Justin Hensley with the St. Francis County Extension Service, wheat farmers are also beginning to fight with disease as well.
According to Hensley, flooding damage has affected crops, but the unexpected emergence of stripe rust and leaf rust is the biggest concern for farmers right now. Both are quick spreading fungi which attack wheat.
"We've had some fields get flooded out which has been a pretty big concern from some of our farmers and we've also had some that had problems with freeze damage, but the biggest problem right now is disease. We've had stripe rust and leaf rust beginning to show up and we expected the freeze to take care of all of that," Hensley said.
According to a story from the Associated Press, close to $30 million dollars in damages may have been seen to wheat crops in both the lowlands and in higher ground areas between Des Arc and Batesville.
According to Hensley, continued rain could begin to cause larger problems for area farmers because they haven't been able to get into their fields for planting.
"It's been so wet lately that no one has been able to get in the fields and if we don't get some drying soon it could put some people behind the eight-ball. We've got a little bit of corn in right now, but that's about it. As soon as we can get two or three days of drying, or even better, a week without rain then more can get accomplished. It would be nice if we could get this type of rain once everything is planted, when we need it," said Hensley.
Registration for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students who will be attending Forrest City Schools this fall will be held Friday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Mustang Arena.
The St. Francis County Health Unit on Division Street will be open to administer immunizations the same day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A child must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 15 of this year to register for kindergarten.
To register a child for ABC and Madison preschools the child must be 4 years old by Sept. 15 of this year.
Parents or guardians must present the following documents at registration: The child's birth certificate, immunization record, Social Security card and physical exam documents -- dated within the last six months. Prizes will be given to children whose parents complete and return applications on the day of registration.
Eight building permits were issued by Forrest City in March, for projects valued at a total of $171,800.
The largest single project was new apartments on North Izard, being built by CCR, for $150,000. Other commercial ventures include repairs at 206 North Washington by Dr. Donald Perkins, valued at $3,000, and a fence valued at $3,000 for Staton's at 942 N. Washington.
Residential projects for which permits were issued included a fence, a carport, a roof and a deck.
The total value of projects for the first three months was $887,662 in Forrest City.