PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. — Pulaski County roads received a high rating, posting a pavement condition index (PCI) rating of 83.7 which is one of the highest in Arkansas.
The county shared that PCI is determined through the collection of data for each road a county's jurisdiction. From there, damage, cracks, and structural damage are all taken into account for the overall rating.
"Out of all of Pulaski County's roads, there are minimal distresses, cracks, or structural problems, which is why the PCI rating is so high," Pulaski County officials said in a press release.
The announcement came earlier this week, with Pulaski County officials attributing the high rating to "continued improvements and preventive maintenance" of roads in the area.
The measures were made possible by a $16 million road improvement project.
In the time since Pulaski County implemented this project last year, roads around the county have improved in PCI by nearly 10 points.
The roads went from a score of 75.3 to now being at an 83.7 for PCI.
The county said that 50% of roads were listed as being in "fair" condition in 2022. Fast forward to May of 2023 and the county said that over 50% are now listed as being in "good" condition.
Pulaski County continued, sharing that only 1% of roads were considered to be in "excellent" condition, but now 15% are rated as being in "excellent" condition in 2023.
The county said that due to the $16 million project, they were able to treat an additional 121 miles of county roads last year. These treatments and investments are something that they point to as being a priority.
"Investing in our roads and making data-driven decisions has been a main focus, and it's paying off. Infrastructure is a top priority in the county," Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde said.
As far as where the $16 million came from for the project, Pulaski County officials said that it came from years of saving.
"The $16 million came from the County's Road and Bridge fund by saving unused road and bridge funds over a number of years," Pulaski County officials said.