TEXARKANA -- More than 11 miles of U.S. Highway 71 corridor through the city are getting a $7.3 million facelift.
Resurfacing the road between East Seventh Street and close to Fouke is expected to be complete by Nov. 1.
"The existing surface for this section had excessive cracking and had reached its life expectancy since the prior construction work," said William Cheatham, an engineer with the Arkansas Department of Transportation
Cheatham, who is based in Hope, said some portions of the road have not been serviced since 2000.
Work began early Wednesday with milling and resurfacing at the East Seventh intersection and the asphalt portions of the Hickory Street Viaduct. By Thursday afternoon, ArDOT crews and lead contractor R.K. Hall Construction of Texarkana had resurfaced a major section of East Street through the College Hill neighborhood.
Traffic is being limited to one lane in either direction in work zones during the project.
The work is being funded through a combination of federal money and a voter-approved half-cent state sales tax.
Subcontractors include Time Striping for road striping items, Dustrol Inc. for milling operations, and Patrick Electric Service for signal loop work at intersections with traffic lights.