Our team successfully prepared the Move Mena Forward RAISE Planning Grant application, which was awarded by the Federal Highway Administration. The grant application outlined a comprehensive strategy to improve connectivity, accessibility, and economic development throughout the community through the development of an Active Transportation Plan, Master Street Plan, Downtown ADA Transition Plan, and Complete Streets Policy. The effort established a framework for future transportation investments connecting downtown Mena to Queen Wilhelmina State Park, local schools, the community college, healthcare facilities, parks, employers, and other key destinations.

Application development required extensive planning, technical analysis, and multidisciplinary coordination. We led public engagement, evaluated routes and crossings, identified environmental considerations, and developed the scope needed to advance the project through preliminary engineering. The team coordinated surveys, traffic analyses, flood modeling, wetland delineations, NEPA documentation, right-of-way planning, and design for approximately 5.5 miles of multi-use pathways, crossings, intersection improvements, drainage, and related transportation enhancements.

The team prepared detailed cost estimates covering planning, surveying, environmental studies, traffic and civil engineering, floodplain analysis, right-of-way, and construction documents through 90% design. Based on project requirements and similar experience, these estimates established a well-defined scope and defensible budget that supported the successful RAISE award. The effort grew from conversations with Mayor Seth Smith following our work helping Conway secure a RAISE grant, and the firm has since supported Mena on additional trail and streetscape grant applications.