The Northwest Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway (usually shortened to Razorback Regional Greenway or just Greenway in Northwest Arkansas) is a primarily off-road shared-use trail in
Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozark Mountains. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, ...
. Dedicated on May 2, 2015, the Greenway connects Walker Park in
Fayetteville, Arkansas to north of Lake Bella Vista in
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Bella Vista is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. First established in 1917 as a summer resort destination, Bella Vista has evolved and redesigned itself over the succeeding years. Bella Vista became a retirement community in 1965 ...
, while also serving schools, businesses and other cultural amenities along the route. In 2023 the Greenway was designated as a National Recreation Trail and was added to the
National Trail System.
History
First envisioned by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) during long-range planning that identified regional trails, the project came to fruition following the creation of a task force, public meetings, and coordination among NWA communities. Initially, the route was to follow three historically significant routes in NWA: the
Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...
route;
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
routes; and the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the "Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...
in conjunction with the
Arkansas Heritage Trail
Arkansas Heritage Trails System is a network of four historic trails within the state of Arkansas. The heritage trails system was established by the Arkansas General Assembly on March 31, 2009.Arkansas State Legislature (2009).Heritage Trails Sys ...
s program.
Funding
A grant from the
Walton Family Foundation in 2009 for up to $15 million ($ in current dollars) requiring 1-to-1 match from partner cities provided a revenue source for planning and design. The routing was also finalized during public meetings to serve many community attractions. A $15 million ($ in current dollars)
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), previously called
Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD), and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER), is a supplementary ...
grant from the
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
in 2010 assisted in
right-of-way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
acquisition and construction of the project. The
Arkansas State Highway Commission
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT), formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, is a government department in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its mission is to provide a safe, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and en ...
also provided $855,000 ($ in current dollars) to the project.
Usage
As of 2017, a report by the Walton Family Foundation, using data collected by San Diego State University, found that weekday bicycle volume (187 cyclists per day) and weekend volume (336 per day) had increased between 2015 and 2017 by 32% and 14% respectively.
Similarly, weekday pedestrian volume as of 2017 (166 pedestrians per day) and weekend volume (203 per day) had increased by about 5% and 19% respectively.
The report also found Northwest Arkansas's cyclists per capita to be 5.45 cyclists per 1,000 people, and pedestrians per capita to be 5.78 pedestrians per 1,000 people as of 2017.
Community attractions
The Greenway serves the following community attractions:
* 6 downtowns
* 23 schools
*
Campus of the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
* 3 hospitals
* Walmart, JB Hunt Transport Services and
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annual ...
corporate headquarters
* Arts and entertainment venues such as
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a museum of American art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum, founded by Alice Walton and designed by Moshe Safdie, officially opened on 11 November 2011. It offers free public admission.
Overvie ...
and the
Walmart AMP
* Historic sites
* Parks and Playgrounds
* Residential communities
* Shopping areas such as
Northwest Arkansas Mall
Northwest Arkansas Mall is a shopping mall located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
History
The shopping center began as Northwest Arkansas Plaza, a single-level mall of leasable square feet. It was developed by General Growth Properties, and among ...
and
Pinnacle Hills Promenade
Pinnacle Hills Promenade is a retail lifestyle center in Rogers, Arkansas. Opened in 2006, it features Bass Pro Shops, Dillard's, J. C. Penney, Target, and Best Buy as its anchor stores. It also includes a Malco Theatres movie theater and D ...
See also
*
References
{{coord, 36.33565, -94.19035, type:landmark, display=title
Bike paths in Arkansas
Transportation in Benton County, Arkansas
Transportation in Washington County, Arkansas
Long-distance trails in the United States
Protected areas of Benton County, Arkansas
Protected areas of Washington County, Arkansas
National Recreation Trails in Arkansas