Pine Bluff seeking resident input to turn street into a community hub

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Go Forward Pine Bluff is asking for the communities help by encouraging residents to take a survey to share their input on the plan for Highway 63B.

Pine Bluff was the only town in Arkansas to be awarded the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant through the Department of Transportation. 

The grant is currently being used to plan what Olive Street could look like, but Pine Bluff wants to hear from the community through a survey. 

The city wants to hear from the community about the needs of the neighborhood and what the community would want during this project.

“If you look at the best infrastructure in America, it had always reinforced a sense of place,” Stephen Luoni, Director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, said.

However, that hasn’t been the case in Pine Bluff with Highway 63B. 

Pine Bluff is looking to introduce different ways to revitalize the street and provide different modes of transportation.

“How to introduce complete streets so that the street again can accommodate pedestrian and bicyclists in addition to motors, without reducing traffic performance,” Luoni said.

The highway no longer serves Pine Bluff because of the bypass that has been built, but the grant would allow for a redesign of the street and bring back a sense of community.

“What’s really important is have a community as a co-creator and rethinking the transportation facility such that it serves their everyday needs, and we’ll reconcile those needs with what a good street design is,” Luoni said.

The designers with Go Forward Pine Bluff are hoping to create a good street design for the community.

“It’s a great place for pedestrians, for bicyclists, for neighbors to walk around. It’s still great mobility,” Luoni said.