Site work for a water / sewer project in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Conceptual plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

This project is to mitigate flooding along the May Branch drainage basin. The proposed design by the Corps of Engineers (COE) consists of constructing a drainage channel to replace the existing undersized concrete storm drain pipe. (See page 26) The intent was to construct Reach 1, the most downstream section of the project, from approximately North 7th Street to the river entirely with City funds with an agreement that the City's cost would be credited towards the future cost sharing on the project when federal funds became available. However, in 2016 the COE informed the City that based on their $32 million estimated cost for Reach 1, it was very unlikely that the City would receive any federal credit for constructing Reach 1. The COE stated that extrapolating this lower reach cost estimate to the total project cost resulted in a total revised estimated cost of $65 million which is more than double the $31 million authorized for the entire project. Based on these costs, it was noted that the estimated project benefit to cost ratio would be less than 0.7, which is not economically justified for federal funding. The COE has requested $600,000 in their 2022 budget to complete an Economic Update, Cost Certification and Hydrology & Hydraulic Analysis for the May Branch project. The intent is to remove Reach 1 from the original project and let it be a standalone project without the federal funding. Upstream of Reach 1 would then be re-analyzed as a new project in an effort to increase the benefit to cost ratio, thereby allowing it to be eligible for federal funds. It is estimated this work would be split 65% Federal to 35% City. The city's share would be approximately $350,000. Future work would be dependent upon the findings from the updated COE study and the ability of obtaining federal funding. This project is in included in the City of Fort Smith's FY 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). As of February 25, 2022, information regarding a design team or a general contractor is not available. Funding is anticipated in 2022 and 2026.* *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.