Benton County Commissioners Voting on Five-Year Road Plan Tuesday

(KNSI) – The Benton County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote Tuesday on a new five-year Road Construction Improvement Plan.

It has been crafted over the past several months following a county tour and a discussion at a recent Committee of the Whole meeting. The schedule covering 2024 through 2028 is expected to cost $43 million. The most significant project for next year is a rebuild of County Road 7 from Highway 95 to County Road 4. Sections of County Road 25 are scheduled for either reclamation or mill and overlay work.

The busiest year is looking like 2026 when 7.5 miles of County Road 3 will be reclaimed and six miles of County Road 13 is slotted for a mill and overlay project. The construction is paid for through a combination of federal grants, sales tax, state aid, and wheelage tax.

Staff says the typical project takes years to plan, design, and build. The CIP is only a planning document but due to the length of road construction, it is an invaluable guide on how to direct and manage personnel time. Staff adds that the document helps to allocate maintenance crews. If they notice a road is beginning to break down and see it isn’t in the plans for reconstruction, then they know preventative work will be needed in the short term.

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