Boozman Testimony To Help Fund I-49

Press Release

Boozman Testimony To Help Fund I-49

U.S. Representative John Boozman today called I-49 vital to the economic development in the region in testimony before the Transportation and Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee.

Boozman promoted I-49 in a member request hearing where he had the opportunity to discuss the importance of the transportation project for funding in the Highway Bill, legislation that directs federal money to road projects every five years. The Highway Bill is scheduled for reauthorization this year and the Appropriations Committee is responsible for overseeing what transportation projects are funded.

At the conclusion of the testimony Boozman answered questions from committee members including Chairman John Olver (D-MA) who was interested in the specific route of I-49 and commented that the federal government needs to pay attention to north-south corridors.

When completed, I-49 will provide a north-south corridor through Arkansas for commerce and travelers to utilize. It will run from the Port of New Orleans up to Kansas City, Missouri where it connects with I-29 and I-35, which run north to the Canadian border.

A majority of the road is complete, but stretches - including portions in Arkansas - need further construction. The uncompleted portions in the Third District of Arkansas are the segments from Fort Smith south to Greenwood and from Bentonville north to the Missouri border. The estimated cost of completion of these segments in the Third District is more than $400 million and completing the entire Arkansas portion of I-49 is estimated to be more than $1 billion.

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