Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects Demolition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jonesboro engineering staff outlines 2025 capital projects; contractors preparing Citizens Bank demolition
Summary
City engineering staff described 2025 capital allocations for roads, sidewalks, drainage, rail yard protections and an asphalt overlay program; contractors reported heavy equipment arriving to begin demolition of the former Citizens Bank building.
City engineering staff presented the 2025 capital-project program to the Jonesboro City Council, describing planned street, sidewalk, drainage and rail-yard work, and contractors gave an update on imminent demolition activity at the former Citizens Bank site.
Engineering staff said the city’s 2025 miscellaneous roads allocation (about $500,000) will fund projects including a signal at North Church/Church Hawk near Parker Park, a Johnson Avenue turn lane with a 10-foot side path to the Newman Center, and pedestrian accommodations at South Culver House and Southwest Drive. Traffic-calming measures (speed tables and signage) are planned at Oak Street, Brazos and Fair Park, and a lighting project on Crest Street is staged for installation with grant-purchased luminaires.
Staff said sidewalk funds (about $500,000) will continue South Culver House/Flint Street connectivity work and begin additional side-path work down Jefferson Avenue, plus a small Madison Road sidewalk segment. Drainage funds will address Maplewood Terrace ditch relocation and curb/piping work near Leslie and Tony Ann; staff also proposed purchase of approximately 5 acres on North Main Street that is part of a Corps of Engineers master drainage plan and is being offered below appraisal.
Railroad funds (approximately $450,000) will cover maintenance and protective switch-point devices, camera equipment for the rail yard and other rail-related maintenance. The city advertised a $1 million asphalt overlay program; bid results came in slightly lower than the previous year, potentially allowing one or two additional overlay projects to be added. Representative streets listed for overlay bidding include Nettleton Avenue, Willow Road, Richardson Road, Warner and Oak Street among others.
On the demolition of the former Citizens Bank building, a contractor representative told the council the first pieces of demolition equipment have arrived on site and a "high-reach" machine was scheduled to arrive the next day. The contractor said substantial site protection work is underway to protect an immediately adjacent building (15 feet away) and that an updated Notice of Intent was resubmitted to ADEQ to address clerical items. The representative said "Our first day of actual demolition, we're hoping at the latest, it'll be Friday... maybe Saturday... or Monday the tenth," and that the city and contractor are coordinating traffic control and neighbor notifications.
Why it matters: The projects allocate limited capital to address pedestrian safety, drainage problems and street maintenance identified across neighborhoods. The Citizens Bank demolition is a visible downtown change; the city and contractor emphasized protection of adjacent buildings and ADEQ oversight during demolition.
What’s next: Engineering staff will return with project bids, permits and contract awards as projects move into construction phases. The contractor said demolition work was expected to begin soon subject to ADEQ approval and completion of site-protection measures.
