BRYANT, Ark. — The Saline County community came together on Friday to celebrate the opening of a new road that had been several years in the making.
City leaders officially cut the ribbon to open Bryant Parkway Friday morning, which will unlock another part of that fast-growing suburb.
The goal of the road project is to save time and add convenience, and city leaders have now made Bryant Parkway a reality.
"Since I was a kid... the only way to go north, south in the city of Bryant was Reynolds Road," Bryant Mayor Chris Treat said. "Now we have another option to connect the south side of Bryant to the north side of Bryant to the interstate."
Treat said it's not just a game changer for those who live in the city.
"All the people live in Bauxite and Sardis, south of the county, can now get to... as they're commuting into Little Rock," Treat said. "They can get to the interstate faster."
Treat said having this other option could help reduce traffic on busy Reynolds Road.
"One of the biggest things is connecting our airport directly to the interstate," Treat said. "Our Saline County airport is amazing. It's an economic development tool. It's something we want to highlight."
He expects the airport and city to grow in the coming years.
"It's picking up, and a lot of people want to live here," Treat said. "It's a great place to live. We got great schools, we got great quality of life. It's safe, and so the growth is going to continue. What I'm most encouraged about is just the cooperation between the county and the cities."
Saline County Judge Matt Brumley echoed that.
"We're never going back," Brumley said. "We're going forward, and we're going full steam ahead."
While Treat has only served as mayor for about six months, he acknowledges all the people before him who helped bring this plan to life.
"Throughout this time, different city councils, different mayors, everybody kept pushing to find the funding and make it happen," Treat said. "Everybody's really working together for the good of the county. It's very encouraging."
The mayor also expects the future southwest trail to draw more people in.