Project Profile: The Connecting Arkansas Program (CAP), Arkansas

The Connecting Arkansas Program (CAP) is one of the largest highway construction programs ever undertaken by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT). Through a voter-approved constitutional amendment, Arkansans passed the half-cent sales tax to construct more than 30 projects in 19 corridors.

In 2009, the 87th Arkansas General Assembly created the Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance. The committee was tasked with finding a solution to finance State-wide transportation improvements and recommended a half-cent increase to the State sales tax over a 10-year span. The voters then approved this amendment that is estimated to provide $1.8 billion for highways, county roads, city streets, bridges, and surface transportation.

With 36 projects in 19 corridors across the State, the Connecting Arkansas Program (CAP) is the largest highway construction program the Arkansas Department of Transportation has ever undertaken. The project will improve transportation to the four corners of Arkansas by widening highways, easing congestion, and improving traveler safety across nearly 200 miles of four-lane highways and interstate roads. Project selection is based on estimated construction schedules and cost, the need to widen two-lane highways to four-lane highways in vital corridors, and pre-construction work already completed.

The CAP will support an estimated 40,000 or more jobs, encourage economic development, and make locations throughout the State more desirable for employers to locate, expand, and conduct business.

• Ten-year, half-cent State sales tax increase

• Garver
• HNTB

• Garver
• HNTB
• Michael Baker International
• HDR
• Bridgefarmer & Associates
• Burns & McDonnell
• Buchart Horn
• Atkins
• Brown & Gay Engineers
• Jacobs
• Crafton Tull

The construction will provide better roads and bridges, encouraging economic development and making locations throughout Arkansas more desirable for companies to become established, expand, and conduct business. Overall, the CAP will:

• Provide an economic benefit to the State of Arkansas. Construction and maintenance work is estimated to offer more than 40,000 jobs.
• Improve transportation connections between cities throughout the State.
• Increase capacity by widening highways to move people and goods more efficiently.
• Provide a revenue source for new highway projects.
• Accelerate completion of highway improvement projects.
• Improve traveler safety.
• Ease congestion.
• Support job growth and improves the Arkansas economy.

• Connecting Arkansas Program Overview
• Connecting Arkansas Program FAQs
• Connecting Arkansas Program Press Release
• Garver
• Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance