Engineering update: Jonesboro outlines 2025 road, sidewalk and drainage projects; demolition work beginning at Citizens Bank site

City engineering staff on Monday gave the Jonesboro City Council a progress update on 2025 capital projects, outlining allocations for street resurfacing, sidewalk and side-path extensions, drainage repairs and railroad-yard maintenance, and provided a status report on the planned demolition of the Citizens Bank building downtown.

Craig Lide, director of engineering, summarized projects funded in the 2025 capital budget. He said the city allocated $500,000 for miscellaneous road work, with projects targeting local safety and connectivity needs, including traffic-signal and pedestrian-accommodation projects, turn-lane and side-path work on Johnson Avenue, traffic-calming speed tables on Oak and Brazos streets, and curb work to limit cut-through traffic on Union Street. Lide said contractors had submitted plans for several projects to state permitting agencies and that some work was expected to be constructed this year.

Lide listed sidewalks and side-path work selected by the connectivity committee, including continued work on South Culverhouse and Flint Street connections, a small segment on Madison Road near the new county courthouse, and the start of Jefferson Avenue side-path work. He said the city budgeted drainage funds to relocate a ditch on Maplewood Terrace and to address chronic runoff onto private property on Leslie Ann and Tony Ann.

On asphalt overlays, Lide said the city was allocated $1,000,000 for overlays in 2025. The list of streets out for bid included Nettleton Avenue (Flint to Dupuy), Beanie Drive, Bobby Don Drive, Eagle Drive, Hawks Cove, Hunter Lane, Bass and Carter Drive, Richardson Road (Rook Road to Longcrest), Longcrest Drive (Richardson to Willow), Willow Road (Ingles to I-555), Warner (Olive to Union) and Oak Street (Olive to Madison), among others. He told council that bid results came in slightly lower than last year and the city might add an additional road or two from a running priority list.

Lide also described rail-yard maintenance items, including installation of switch-point protectors after repeated damage and new camera equipment to monitor safety incidents in the rail yard.

Separately, contractors and a site representative reported that demolition equipment for the Citizens Bank building was beginning to arrive. A construction representative said the first large machine arrived the prior week and high-reach equipment was expected the following day; crews were preparing neighbor protections and resubmitting a notice of intent to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) after clerical revisions requested by that agency. “Our first day of actual demolition, we’re hoping at the latest, it’ll be Friday, March, maybe Saturday, March or, Monday, the tenth,” the representative said, while noting the schedule remains subject to ADEQ approval.

City and contractor speakers emphasized neighborhood protections during demolition, including securing the adjacent building to the north (reported to be about 15 feet away) and managing stormwater so the site does not create downstream flooding issues after demolition.

Council members asked for additional detail on neighborhood drainage needs, including a larger-scale drainage estimate cited for a Fair Park neighborhood rebuild (previously estimated around $5.5 million), and about potential roundabouts; staff said no roundabout projects are funded in the immediate plan but the city will evaluate requests and keep a project list for long-range funding.

Lide said additional details, engineering plans and timelines will be provided as designs are finalized and permits are approved. The council did not take formal votes on the capital-update items during the presentation; several items discussed will be brought forward to the council as construction contracts are awarded.