LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The City of Little Rock will be putting more money into bike trails.
At Tuesday night's city agenda meeting, directors approved spending a quarter-million dollars to improve the Arkansas River Trail.
"We've known for a long time that sections of the Arkansas River Trail needed to be resurfaced," Little Rock's Parks and Recreation Director Leland Couch said.
The trail is more than 40 miles long and is used by bikers and pedestrians. It's also home to the annual Big Dam Bridge 100 cycling tour.
With use comes wear and tear, and there are some much-needed renovations.
"We're excited about this," Couch said. "This is our next big improvement, which is resurfacing the Arkansas River Trail in Two Rivers Park."
Little Rock directors approved $275,000 to fund the project. The money is coming from a federal grant and a bond previously approved by voters.
The repavement will start at the trail's city limits and span to the eastern loop, which juts out onto the Arkansas River.
Couch said the trail will be resurfaced entirely with an inch and a half of new pavement that is twelve feet wide. The hope is to finish the project before the end of October.
Although that's just an estimated finish date, Couch does not expect the project to be finished before the Arkansas Big Dam Bridge 100, which will be at the end of September.
However, the department will be clearing brush and limbs for the race to ensure nothing on the trail could impact bicyclists.