The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department has advised Greenwood Mayor Kenneth Edwards that the paving of Denver Street above the new bridge site will be complete this week. The AHTD project was delayed due to weather earlier in the year, nonconforming sidewalks and the addition of a handrail to the project. The sidewalks have been replaced. Mayor Edwards advised the Department of his desire to have the handrails installed for the safety of those on the sidewalks above the bridge. The project took about a month longer than the AHTD expected.

The Denver Street Bridge project was 80% funded by state and federal funds sought by the Mayor to replace the failing and undersized bridge and widen the intersection of Denver Street at Center Street. “We have a dozen school busses full of our children cross that old bridge every day. We’ve been too lucky too long”, said Edwards. “The Street Department portion of our ¾ cent sales tax is paying for the City’s 20% share of the expense. We got really good prices on the contract. The Mayor and I got the easements and right of way for the project ourselves and saved the City about $200,000.00” said Street Department Director Don Keyes.

Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Engineer Dean Nichols says the asphalt will be installed on Wednesday August 11 and the striping will be applied on Thursday. The $900,000.00 project will be ready for traffic Thursday evening or Friday morning. Mayor Edwards had promised the Greenwood School District and the Greenwood Police Department that the project would be complete before the beginning of the school year later in August. “This is just one of the projects that should have been done forty years ago along with sewer in Bell Addition and a remedy to Greenwood’s age old water source and water quality issue”, said Mayor Edwards, adding, “we’re knocking them out one at a time”.

Edwards expressed thanks to the adjacent property owners who accommodated the project and the residents who rely upon Denver Street. “Yeager’s, Dr. Singer and La Fiesta have been very gracious”, Edwards said. The Mayor also reports that the installation of decorative street lighting, the walking trail and the widened intersection will enhance the entrance to Greenwood.