Grant awarded for work on Chalk Bluff Road

U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representative Marion Berry announced last week the Arkansas Department of Transportation was awarded two grants totaling $2,388,699 for Crowley's Ridge Parkway Trail.

One grant award, totaling $622,174, will be used to support surfacing, drainage and redesign work on Chalk Bluff Road in Clay County in order to meet minimum federal design standards. The other grant, totaling $1,766,525, will go to the city of Jonesboro for phase II of the Jonesboro Greenway Project. This project will extend a hiking and biking trail from Turtle Creek Mall through the ASU campus and into the downtown Jonesboro area.

Chalk Bluff Road in Clay County is part of the Crowley's Ridge Parkway, which was designated as a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration in 1998. Chalk Bluff was an important transit point between Arkansas and Missouri during the Civil War and was the site of several skirmishes. The battle and the town's history are interpreted along a walking trail and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park is located along the St. Francis River northwest of the town of St. Francis. The plans call for the paving of the roadway to the battle site area and should greatly enhance the experience for visitors by improving access.