UACCM UNIVERSITY BLVD. PROMENADE

The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton is set to begin phase one of the University Boulevard Promenade building project thanks to a $210,000 grant from the Arkansas Highway Commission. The Promenade will be a walking path that will allow students to travel safely along University Boulevard from the main sections of the campus to the University Bookstore. The path will be equipped with lighting, park benches, and two bridges that will span the creek which travels through the middle of the campus. Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2012 and work is already underway to apply for a second grant to complete phase two of the project.

The project was made possible by the $12 million in federal funding allotted to the Arkansas Highway Commission for local Transportation Enhancement Program projects in Arkansas for 2011. The UACCM Promenade was one of the 74 projects covered by these funds. The Enhancement category of funding was created by Congress in 1991 for non-traditional transportation-related projects such as historic preservation, beautification, pedestrian/bicycle facilities, and scenic highway enhancements.  “The Commission provides the citizens of Arkansas with the best possible system of highways,” stated Highway Commission Chairman R. Madison Murphy. “I am very pleased that we are also able to assist local communities with projects such as these. The local pride that is created by the projects can’t be measured. We are glad to play a small role in their development.”