In November 2022, Pea Ridge received a $183,000 state grant for a sidewalk on McCulloch Street from Weston Street to North Curtis Avenue. Nathan See was the city's street superintendent then, and he said he hoped work could begin "in the spring." Nearly four years later, See is mayor. The sidewalk still isn't built, and in September KNWA reported crews were expected to resume in March, which it described as next spring.
That project shows how the whole walking map is changing this fall. Pea Ridge has money lined up for several sidewalk and crossing projects. What decides when each one opens is the paperwork that comes with the money: environmental reviews, bid checks, council votes and design contracts. If you know which of those a project is waiting on, you can tell when your street will change.
McCulloch Street: Funded in 2022, Waiting on Bats
The latest delay on McCulloch comes from an environmental review. Mayor See told KNWA the review was triggered by the project's federal grant, and it found several species of protected bats roosting in trees near the road.
The city never saw the report itself. The Arkansas Department of Transportation's environmental team sent its findings to the city's engineer, who then briefed the mayor's office. Five federally protected species were on the list: Indiana bat, gray bat, northern long-eared bat, tricolored bat and Ozark big-eared bat.
"It surprised me that they said they were in trees," See said. "So normally I thought bats are in dark spaces."
Blake Sasse, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's bat expert, questioned part of that list. He said gray bats and Ozark big-eared bats almost never leave caves in Arkansas. Indiana, tricolored and northern long-eared bats are more likely, because they spend summers roosting in tree cavities or under loose bark. Mothers pick trees because caves are too cold for newborn pups, which are born without fur.
Sasse said knowingly harming an endangered bat, at any time of year, can trigger penalties under both state and federal law.
In a letter to ARDOT, the city agreed to hold off on any tree removal during the bats' inactive window, which KNWA reported as running from mid-November through mid-March. See said the roughly eight-month delay won't put the $183,000 at risk because the grant has no hard deadline. Crews are expected back once bat activity winds down in March.
So the money is safe and the timing is set by the bats' calendar. If you walk McCulloch between Weston and Curtis, plan on the current conditions through this winter.
North Davis Street: A Two-Day Delay Over a Wall
North Davis Street is the opposite case. Its delay was short and came from the contract.
The sidewalk will run on North Davis from Patton Street to East Pickens Road. The Pea Ridge Times described it as relief for people who now walk along the edge of the street there. McClelland Consulting Engineers opened seven bids on Aug. 26. Verzani Construction LLC came in lowest at $277,456. The other bids ran from $365,378 from Tri-Star Construction up to $464,633 from Ground Zero Construction Inc.
At the regular council meeting on Sept. 15, council member Cody Keene noticed that the next-closest bid for a retaining wall on the project was $6,000 to $7,000 higher than Verzani's. He moved to table the award until the details were confirmed. City attorney Shane Perry told the council it might be better to wait than to award a bid that later needed a change order.
"I hope they're vetted and bid exactly as the detail shows," Keene said.
Two days later, on Sept. 17, council members Keene, Nadine Telgemeier and Ginger Larsen met in a special session and approved Verzani's low bid. The contract is now awarded. I haven't seen a published start or finish date.
West Pickens: Probably Done, Not Yet Confirmed
The sidewalk on the north side of West Pickens, which connects the Wellington and Arlington subdivisions, is the closest to finished. Mayor See described it as a $102,000 project. An 80/20 matching grant, arranged with ARDOT, is what finally let contractors break ground.
"This is about connectivity for our community and to be able to connect neighborhoods together," See said.
The Pea Ridge Times reported the sidewalk under construction in mid-July. At a July 10 roundtable, See said it "should be finished within the next 30 days," which would put completion around mid-August. I haven't found a public notice confirming it's done. If you live in Wellington or Arlington, you can check faster by walking it than by reading the news.
The Ladder: Where Each Project Stands in October 2026
Here's every project above, plus three more, sorted by stage instead of by street:
- Under construction in July, expected done by mid-August: the West Pickens sidewalk between Wellington and Arlington.
- Partly finished: downtown sidewalk repairs that followed a walk study. The city showed off one finished concrete corner near a school but didn't name the street.
- Contract awarded, no schedule yet: North Davis Street, Patton Street to East Pickens Road, $277,456.
- Funded and paused until about next March: McCulloch Street, Weston Street to North Curtis Avenue, $183,000.
- On the agenda, vote not confirmed: seven ADA-compliant crossings paid for by a Walton Family Foundation grant.
- Design approved, construction not yet bid: a trail linking City Park to a planned BMX track.
Each step down is a different kind of wait. Stage 3 is waiting on a contractor's calendar. Stage 4 is waiting on the bats' season. Stages 5 and 6 still need public decisions.
Seven Crossings and an Unconfirmed Vote
The crossings grant could change the most intersections at once. The Walton Family Foundation offered Pea Ridge $393,876 to build seven ADA-compliant pedestrian crossings. The goal stated in the proposal is to improve "safety and active transportation connectivity between residential neighborhoods and key community destinations." The proposed locations are:
- Slack Street and Ryan Road
- A HAWK signal on Arkansas Highway 72
- Patton Road and Curtis Avenue
- Patton Street and Weston Street
- Carlock Street and Hayden Road
- Pickens Road and Davis Street
- Townsend Way and Curtis Avenue
Pickens Road and Davis Street is on the list. That's the north end of the North Davis sidewalk route, so if both projects go ahead, the new sidewalk would end at a new crossing.
Resolution 599, which authorizes the mayor and city clerk to accept the grant, was on the Sept. 15 council agenda. As of this writing, the city's minutes page doesn't yet have the minutes from that meeting. I haven't seen a public record of the result, and I haven't found any construction timeline for the crossings. When those minutes go up, they'll show whether the grant was accepted.
The City Park Trail Is Still on Paper
The newest piece of the map is also the furthest from done. On July 21, the council adopted Ordinance 958. It authorizes ABA Ethos LLC to design a BMX track, related facilities and city trails, including a trail from City Park to the new track. Construction will be bid out separately. The design is authorized, but I haven't found any record of a construction contract, so there's no opening date to plan around.
What This Means for Your Routes This Winter
On the streets you use, here's what to expect:
- McCulloch Street, Weston to Curtis: no new sidewalk this winter. Work is expected to resume in March.
- North Davis Street, Patton to East Pickens: the contract is awarded. Watch for crews, since no start date has been published.
- West Pickens, Wellington to Arlington: expected done by mid-August, if the mayor's July estimate held.
- The seven crossing locations: wait for the Sept. 15 minutes before counting on them.
- City Park to the BMX track: still in design.
The pattern across these projects comes from public records. Grant money with environmental strings follows the seasons. Bids get a close look before the council signs off. Projects that still need a council vote stay uncertain until that vote shows up in the minutes.
If you live on North Davis, McCulloch or near one of those seven crossings, it helps to know where your home stands before the work begins. I keep track of this kind of street-level detail because it matters when you list your home. Cindy Carfaro can walk you through what's happening on your block. Get a Free Home Valuation and I'll give you a straight answer on where your home stands today.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
