CONWAY, Ark. — Connecting downtown Conway and Hendrix College is Markham Street.
However, travel between the two was met with no sidewalks or bike lanes— but that's changing soon.
"Connect two of our cultural and economic drivers, downtown Conway and Hendrix College," Bobby Kelly with the City of Conway explained.
Currently, most of the "Markham Street Jump Start Initiative" is done, with the full project expected to wrap in the spring of 2024.
It's a process that's been in the works for nearly a decade after pushes from the city, university, and other backers.
"By the time Markham Street is fully finished, folks will be able to leave Hendrix College by foot, and have access to all the resources that they may need," Kelly explained.
Part of those renovations include new wide sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes, and parking spots. Also included are improved drains to alleviate issues from Conway's flooding issues.
"Even if it takes 10 years, any city will be excited to see vision turned into action," Kelly said. "I know that we at city hall are excited to see when people are using the infrastructure for its intended purpose."
Daniel Holland works with Metroplan, who helped design the plans for this and put up nearly three million of the four million dollar price tag.
"It's adjacent to an already very lively downtown, so I think people should be very excited about what's to come," Holland said.
With pedestrians top of mind, Holland said safety was a focus for the project.
"Right now, the easiest way to do that is to get in your car, which doesn't really make sense, because it's a fairly short distance," he added.
No business will change because of this— in fact, Kelly said they hope more businesses pop up as a result of this development.
"Once the catalyst does what it needs to do in terms of development, that'll give people more reason to not just come to Markham Street but to maybe explore downtown Conway as well," Kelly said.
We also reached out to Hendrix College for their thoughts on the project.
In a statement, Communications Director Amy Forbus said:
“Hendrix College is grateful to the City of Conway and the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce for their vision to revitalize Markham Street. By creating a walkable pathway that connects our city’s vibrant downtown with the Hendrix campus and The Village at Hendrix, this project celebrates our shared goals for community development, quality of life, and sustainability. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our neighbors in the community and welcome new opportunities to contribute to the revitalization of downtown Conway and Markham Street.”