Montana-based nonprofit Adventure Cycling has announced a new long-distance bike route spanning from the Arkansas-Missouri border to Alma. The 88-mile route, called USBR 51, is Arkansas' second path in the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The first, USBR 80, stretches from Little Rock to Memphis.
"So, it's an east-west route. USBR 51 is the first north-south route in the state."
That's Jenn Hamelman. She's Adventure Cycling's director of routes. She said the U.S. Bicycle Route System, which the nonprofit facilitates, is unique in that it primarily uses preexisting infrastructure.
"It does use the Razorback Greenway for about 35 miles of the 88 miles, which is a great use of existing infrastructure," Hamelman said. "There is no infrastructure requirement. However, you know, we always encourage state DOTs—and I think they're always looking for ways—to make things as friendly for cyclists, for a bicycle route."
Hamelman worked closely with Kim Sanders from the Arkansas Department of Transportation while developing USBR 51. She's the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator and said this kind of bike route development begins the same way most road trips do.
"I guess the first phase would be sitting and just looking at maps," Sanders said. "So what makes sense? What kind of route makes sense? And if you're a cyclist, it kind of helps. The world looks different on a bicycle than it does in a car. And so you kind of look at it on paper, and then you really, really need to get on the ground and either ride it, walk it or drive it very slowly."
Sanders said the most tedious part of bringing together USBR 51 was confirming it with landowners.
"What we have to do, what everyone has to do, is get permission from all of the jurisdictions, all the landowners that your route is going to touch," she said. "So it wasn't necessarily challenging. It just took time. We had to get everyone who owns a piece of the Razorback Greenway. We had to get the city of Bella Vista. And then, because ARDOT owns Highway 71, we didn't have to get permission from a lot of the communities that Highway 71 goes through. We didn't have to get permission, but just as a courtesy, we talked with those communities, and I think I did get letters of support from each of those communities."
All but one, at first. Sanders said Mountainburg's city council wasn't exactly excited about the prospect of more cyclists traveling through town. But after she visited the community and spoke with city leaders, Sanders was able to gain their approval.
"And I mean, the cyclists were going to ride through anyway, so why not go ahead and support what we're trying to do," she said. "And I think most of the city council was in approval, so I was able to get their letter of support. But that could be a sticking point. So you have a lot of communities that need to say, 'Yes, yeah, sure. We don't mind 15 cyclists two or three times a week coming through our town.'"
Hamelman from Adventure Cycling says USBR 51 will complement and expand the already strong bike scene in northwest Arkansas.
"This route, being at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, which—northwest Arkansas is like a hotbed of cycling," Hamelman said. "So it's really exciting to see this specific route being designated and promoted in the state for long-distance bicycle travel. That, to us, is exciting to see these partnerships come together and have a result like this to sort of add on to the vibe that's already happening in northwest Arkansas around cycling."
USBR 51 will eventually continue past Alma all the way down to Louisiana. However, Hamelman said that part of the route is still coming together and won't be available for public use until at least next year.
"I would like to say, optimistically, we'll see the rest of it within the year, but it could be a year and a half these designations," she said. "There's an opportunity to designate USBR S routes twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall. So I would anticipate, if everything goes smoothly, they might have a designation next spring, but it might be next fall."
You can ride the first half of USBR 51 and USBR 80 right now. Just go to Adventure Cycling's website for maps of all trails in the U.S. Bicycle Route System. And please don't forget your helmet.
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