🚧 Bentonville roads getting a facelift

Plus: Cheapish eats | Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Babbel   Axios Northwest Arkansas By Worth Sparkman and Alex Golden ·Jul 13, 2021 Hi, again. It's Tuesday. ☀️ Looking sunny with highs in the upper 80s. It is July, after all. Situational awareness: Former Arkansas Razorback Jake Bequette will challenge Sen. John Boozman in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Today's newsletter is 865 words, about a 3-minute read.     1 big thing: A slew of work coming to a Bentonville street near you Intersection at Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and Southwest I Street. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios   Get ready for a lot of construction — Bentonville City Council will consider 20 contracts for road and drainage projects at tonight's meeting. Why it matters: Road projects that residents overwhelmingly voted for in April are being put into motion. 💰 The top five most expensive projects account for $7.5 million, more than half the total ($13.6 million) of the contracts up for consideration. They include: Rainbow Curve (intersection of Walton Boulevard and Highway 12) improvements for $1.8 million — installing a flyover bridge to remove westbound, left-turning traffic. East Battlefield Boulevard improvements for $1.4 million — converting approximately three-quarters of a mile on East Battlefield Boulevard between East Central Avenue and Water Tower Road from two lanes to three lanes and making the road more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and Southwest I Street intersection for $1.2 million — construction of dual left-turn lanes, dedicated right-turn bays and a six-lane cross section along Highway 12/SW Regional Airport Boulevard, beginning west of the intersection with SW I Street and continuing east to the intersection with Walton Boulevard. Tiger Boulevard overpass for $1.6 million — extending Tiger Boulevard more than half a mile from McCollum Drive over Interstate 49 to connect to Northeast Grammercy Road. Southwest 28th Street for $1.5 million — widening the street and adding a raised center median along 1.28 miles between Southwest Featherston Road and Southwest I Street while making it more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. 🚧 The other projects include work at: Southwest 10th and F Streets — $955,033 Opal Road improvements — $844,961 Southwest Gator Boulevard — $690,000 Moberly Lane — $630,000 Walton Boulevard and Central Avenue intersection — $568,137 Southeast 10th and C Streets — $443,315 Northwest Tiger Boulevard and G Street — $308,602 Greenhouse Road regional detention drainage project — $297,753 Southwest 14th Street and Been Road — $284,639 Northwest 2nd and G Streets — $246,433 Northwest 4th and D Streets — $228,559 Southwest 2nd and O Streets — $222,949 Northwest Trails End and C Street — $171,690 North 8th and Main Streets — $155,500 Southwest 7th Street and C Lateral — $85,500 Go deeper: Read more about individual projects here, and attend the meeting at 6pm tonight at City Hall or online here.     2. 1 bite thing: A pedaler's pizza Hope you like arugula. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios   Alex, here. With vaccinated summer in full swing, I'm starting to eat inside restaurants again. My most recent night out: A trip to Pedaler's Pub in Bentonville for the first time to try their wood-fired pizzas. It's been around since 2014. If you're in the more southern part of NWA, maybe it hasn't been on your radar. But, hey, if you're ever in Bentonville ... 💸 It's easy to spend a pretty penny on dinner downtown (looking at you, Preacher's Son). And while there's nothing wrong with splurging, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I'm glad solid casual places that don't break the bank survived the pandemic. My boyfriend and I split a full salad and a pizza, which are perfect for two (or for one person who wants leftovers) and each got a beer for $29 before tip. There are also $9.50 lunch specials and drink deals. 😋 The verdict: OK, so the Italian pizza (prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella and parmesan on a roasted garlic olive oil base) had way too much arugula for us, but that's not something you should hold against the pizza — which was pretty good after we shook off some of the leaves. We plan to try a different one next time. 🍔 Also on the menu: Burgers, sandwiches and vegan options.     3. 1 Major League thing: Kopps drafted by Padres Kevin Kopps throws a pitch during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional at Baum-Walker Stadium June 7. Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images   ⚾️ Despite Kevin Kopps' stellar pitching performance for the Diamond Hogs this year, he wasn't a first-round pick Sunday night in the Major League Baseball Draft. Coach David Van Horn thought it was due to Kopps' age. (He's 24.) But, but, but: He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the third round Monday. He was the 99th player chosen and the fourth player drafted by the Padres. The suggested signing bonus for Kopps' slot in the draft is $587,400, according to Whole Hog Sports. 🎶 Kopps must be California dreamin'.     A message from Babbel Here's a skill you can show off this summer     Travel, friends, adventures – it's happening. What you're missing: Get ready with Babbel and start having conversations in a new language in as little as 3 weeks. Sign up today and get 55% off one of 14 languages including Spanish, French, and German.     4. Drake Field lands federal money for runway rehab Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   A grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will cover about 90% of the cost to rehabilitate the runway at Fayetteville's Drake Field, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. What's happening: The airport will receive about $5.5 million under the Airport Improvement Program to mill and overlay the runway and replace the sign system and the lights with LED bulbs. The plan also calls for the building of an electrical vault for airfield lighting power, control equipment and a generator. The remaining $600,000 of the cost will come from the American Rescue Plan. Why it matters: Owned and operated by the City of Fayetteville, Drake Field is an important hub for many private flights into and out of Northwest Arkansas. The University of Arkansas maintains a hangar there. There were nearly 25,000 landings and takeoffs from the airport last year. Summer Fallen, airport director, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette the runway is safe, but the work is necessary due to the amount of erosion at the airport. What's next: Work on the runway will happen next summer and should take 16-25 days.     A message from Babbel Here's a skill you can show off this summer     Travel, friends, adventures – it's happening. What you're missing: Get ready with Babbel and start having conversations in a new language in as little as 3 weeks. Sign up today and get 55% off one of 14 languages including Spanish, French, and German.   😷 Worth is disappointed some friends won't be visiting due to the surge in Arkansas COVID-19 cases. 💉 📺 Alex is on season 2 of this binge-worthy show. 📫 If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Like this email style and format? Learn more about Axios HQ. It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: