BY LEANN DILBECK –
A $552,946.12 improvement to 9.1 miles of Polk County roadways was announced last week by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD). The assistance is part of a 50/50 matching state-aid program established by the legislature and administered by the State Aid Division of the AHTD, Ellison explained, and that $276,473.06 of the funds being used in the project are county funds. This program provides approximately $20 million annually from the state motor fuels tax to assist counties with projects of their choosing on the county road system.
The Arkansas State Highway Commission approved a bid for improvements to the following areas in Polk County:


County Road 44 extending east from County Road 52 to County Road 56 (1.1 miles); County Road 44 extending west from Hwy 375 to Wells Lane (.8) miles. County Judge Brandon Ellison explained that a small section of County Road 44 including a low-water bridge near a cemetery didn’t meet the criteria for state aid and therefore, the county will resurface that section of the road under a different contract.
Other areas to receive improvements include: County Road 76 extending south from Hwy 71 to County Road 188 (2.7 miles); County Road 181 extending north from Hwy 88 to County Road 74 (.5 miles); County Road 184 extending south from County Road 70 to Country Road 75 (4 miles).
Salt Creek Paving & Construction Company, Inc. of Benton, Arkansas was awarded the contract at $552,946.12.
Ellison was hesitant to provide a timeline of when the asphalt laying would begin, explaining that the county is both at the mercy of the weather and the contractor. He would confirm, however, that he believed all the roads would be completed by mid-September. County Road Department will be responsible for preparing all of the roads for the resurfacing. Crews were working Monday [TOP PHOTO] on a section of County Road 44 and have successfully installed new culverts at the intersection of County Road 52 and County Road 44 to improve drainage [ABOVE CENTER].
Additional travel information can be found at IDriveArkansas.com or ArkansasHighways.com. To stay informed on county roadway improvements or closures and other county related issues, you can follow Polk County Judge Office/County Road at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Judge-OfficeCounty-Road/205165546190417
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

County Road 282 needs some huge potholes fixed. It is the worst road i have ever seen, i am very disgusted my family has to travel this road daily.