Construction is set to begin soon on a section of the I-49 highway from Chaffee Crossing in Barling, Arkansas, to the I-40 intersection at Alma according to Lorie Tudor, the director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Since 1997, officials have been attempting to make the concept a reality. The interstate segment from Chaffee Crossing to Alma will be 13.5 miles (22 kilometers) long. The interstate extension will improve access to Chaffee Crossing and allow for greater development. Chaffee Crossing has already received almost US$2.3 billion in capital investment.
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Several projects have occurred in Chaffee Crossing in the last year, including a $262 million expansion by Mars Petcare. The project is expected to create 262 new employment in the area. In January, work on the 200,000-square-foot extension began. It is expected to be finished this year, according to officials. TGE Global Entertainment, Inc., located in Los Angeles, has also announced plans to develop a $30 million film studio in Chaffee Crossing. TGE Spark Studios will contain a 92,000-square-foot building with 45,000 square feet of film and television studio space.
More on the Arkansas I-49 highway construction project
According to Daniel Mann, the chief executive officer and executive director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, the relocation will bring greater economic growth to Chaffee Crossing. “I-49 is a key transportation route that will increase both international and domestic trade in the Fort Smith region. This project’s timing is ideal since it coincides with Chaffee Crossing’s tremendous expansion “He stated. Voters from Arkansas opted to approve the project as part of Issue 1, which allocated funds to a variety of roadway improvements, in November two years ago. To make the project possible, the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority contributed a section of its property towards it.
