North Little Rock, Arkansas – The largest competitive grant win to date for Rock Region Metro is $5.4 million.
A projected transit-oriented development of the River Cities Travel Center on East Capitol Ave in Little Rock will be funded by the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The largest public transportation organization in Arkansas has never received a RAISE award before.
After years of planning, the River Cities Travel Center opened in 2000. It is the only transit station operated by the agency and the only one in Pulaski County that provides local intra-city transportation services.
“When the travel center was constructed on the city block between 4th Street & Capitol Avenue and Rock & Cumberland Streets, METRO not only enhanced the transit passenger experience but also downtown Little Rock, encouraging development along surrounding streets,” stated Justin Avery, chief executive officer of Rock Region METRO.
In order to build on the established market feasibility of various project proposals, the next steps will entail more planning work, including the creation of a request for information for different developers and a public outreach campaign to inform and shape preliminary concepts into more concrete plans.
The completed Little Rock Master Plan includes the River Cities Travel Center project.
