Markham Street Jump Start Improvements

What was once a busy, wide road with a few narrow sidewalks has been transformed into an inviting bicycle and pedestrian-friendly corridor connecting downtown Conway to the Hendrix College campus and The Village at Hendrix.

The appeal of Conway’s Markham Street area, like many formerly industrialized areas near historic downtowns in Central Arkansas, had atrophied as development had moved away and brownfield conditions had cropped up. Once an African American business district, the area is home to important historical landmarks. It presented a model opportunity for investment to restore a sense of place promoting public use, to support downtown economic development, and to encourage mixed-use development that creates stable, thriving communities.

Selected by Metroplan to receive grant funding through the Metroplan Jump Start Initiative, a revitalization program, the Markham Street improvements project design had to meet key funding criteria such as increasing walkability and transportation choice, low impact development, and sustainable design. All historic buildings had to be preserved as well. In addition to providing traffic studies, environmental documentation, and construction inspection, Garver provided design that met all Jump Start Initiative requirements, delivering all services on time and under budget.

Unique aspects of the design include bioretention planters that do more than just create an aesthetically pleasing feature: the planters collect stormwater runoff, filtering contaminants through vegetation and filtration material before that water discharges into Lake Conway. Positioned parallel to the road in concrete planter boxes, the planters help alleviate flooding and provide environmental benefit.

The design also included one-way cycling paths, immediately visible thanks to green pavement markings and red brick pavers and distinct from the pedestrian sidewalk space. Raised to sidewalk level, these paths separate cyclists from traffic and on-street parking, but transition back to the edge of the street at intersections to promote safe crossings.

Overall, these design aspects promote multiple transportation choices and increase safety. Other possible benefits include reduced household transportation costs, improved air quality, and reduced carbon footprint.

The design team took all existing historical structures along the corridor into account as well, ensuring that design fit around them and that it complied with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. In the end, the design both preserved and revitalized the area’s character.

The completed project is successfully encouraging development as well, fulfilling the vision of Metroplan and City of Conway.

The improvements to Markham Street were well-received by the community and the project serves as a positive example for other, similar corridors in Central Arkansas.