On October 5, 2026, U.S. Representative Steve Womack and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Phase 1 of the I-49 Alma-to-Barling project. The Arkansas River bridge contract was about 47% complete on the latest contractor pay estimate; an approximately $11 million estimate still being processed was expected to bring the reported figure to roughly 50%. ARDOT District 4 Engineer Jason Hughey said, “We’re actually ahead of schedule right now.”
What the October 5 progress figures mean
Talk Business & Politics reported that the bridge contract’s latest contractor pay estimate showed about 47% completion. A separate estimate of approximately $11 million was still being processed during the October 5 visit; officials expected it to take construction to roughly 50%. The roughly 50% figure was therefore a projection based on the pending estimate, not the accepted latest pay estimate.
Contractors had used a little more than 40% of the allotted construction time. That is a different measure from the percentage of work complete. Hughey characterized the schedule position as ahead of schedule, but the report did not give a revised completion date.
Bridge work and project quantities
The October report describes the Arkansas River bridge as 5,232 feet long. Another 1,822-foot bridge in the project will cross Flat Rock Creek and Gun Club Road. The figures below are reported construction quantities, not measurements of the project’s broader economic or transportation effects.
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- About 27,000 cubic yards of concrete placed in foundations, columns, and bridge deck.
- About 500,000 cubic yards of embankment fill.
- About 130,000 cubic yards of unclassified excavation.
- About 200,000 cubic yards of rock fill. Hughey said rock fill is needed because the Arkansas River floodplain contains unsuitable material.
Phase 1 is one part of a larger I-49 connection
The $282.5 million Arkansas River bridge contract is one piece of an approximately 14-mile I-49 extension between Arkansas 22 in Barling and the existing I-49/I-40 interchange near Alma. The October report put the estimated cost of completing the Alma-to-Barling connection, across multiple construction projects, at about $1.3 billion.
The bridge is Phase 1 of a four-phase connection. Phase 2 is planned from Gun Club Road to Clear Creek Road; Phases 3 and 4 continue from Clear Creek Road toward I-40. Womack said another phase would be put out for bids in November 2026 and described construction beginning southward from I-40. The October report identifies the work toward I-40 as Phase 3. A separate June 2026 report said Phase 2 was expected to begin in 2027. Bidding and construction-start expectations are different milestones, and the statements concern different phases.
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For historical context, the June report described Phase 1 as a 3.1-mile, four-lane segment between Arkansas 22 in Sebastian County and Gun Club Road in Crawford County, with eight bridge structures and estimated completion in early 2029. It said 34 of 280 required concrete girders had been installed as of late May. Those are earlier snapshots; the October pay-estimate figures are the more recent progress report.
Funding identified for the corridor
Womack’s office says he secured $21 million in construction appropriations: $18 million in FY2022 and $3 million in FY2026. The office also says ARDOT received a $25 million U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant in 2024. USDOT’s 2024 fact sheet independently lists the grant and describes an approximately 14-mile extension in Crawford and Sebastian counties, including a new Arkansas River bridge and roughly four interchanges.
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Separately, Womack’s FY2026 community-project request, submitted in May 2025, sought $5 million for construction of future I-49. That is a funding request; the cited materials do not establish that the requested amount was awarded.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why officials say the project matters
Womack described the bridge as “game-changing infrastructure” and said, “Strong transportation infrastructure keeps our communities moving and our economy growing.” Duffy said, “We are committed to working with you to get phase two and phase three,” adding, “That’s important for Arkansas.” These remarks express officials’ support for the project and its later phases.
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Womack’s office says the local connection is intended to ease congestion in Fort Smith and Van Buren, support economic development, and advance the effort to close the 155-mile I-49 gap between Alma and Texarkana. USDOT’s fact sheet describes planned safety countermeasures, intelligent transportation systems, interchanges, grade separations, and local-road improvements. These are projected benefits and planned elements, not evidence of measured outcomes. The cited materials do not report independent results for safety, congestion, freight efficiency, or economic activity on this unfinished segment.
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