Marion Berry Trail Draws $2.38 Million Low Bid, $884,000 Above Early Estimate

JONESBORO, Ark. — The lowest bid to build a protected walking and biking path over the Marion Berry Parkway overpass came in at $2.38 million, about $884,000 above the city’s initial estimate. Even if Jonesboro takes both cuts offered in the bid, the construction price would still be nearly $1.96 million.

White River Material bid $2,383,947.24, the lowest of four offers opened Oct. 21. The other bids ranged from $2.81 million to $3.36 million, according to the city’s bid tabulation. The Jonesboro Ledger first reported the bid results.

The project would add a shared-use path and improve the sidewalk along Marion Berry Parkway from Washington Avenue to Aggie Road, giving people walking and biking a protected route over the bridges between downtown and Arkansas State University. The bid also covers lane changes, drainage, bridge work and lighting.

What Jonesboro Could Cut

White River offered to deduct $338,354.56 if the city removes the color-changing linear fixtures and some of their wiring and conduit. The bid addendum says fixtures over Arkansas State logo plaques and the control cabinet remain part of the base work under that option. A separate paving option would save $87,220.21. Together, the two deductions would bring White River’s bid to $1,958,372.47.

Mayor Harold Copenhaver put the project at $1.5 million while it was still in design in December 2024. By August 2026, city Engineering Director Craig Light told a council committee the estimate had reached about $1.7 million and said a bid option could bring it below $1.5 million. Even with both deductions, the October low bid would be about $258,000 above the estimate Light discussed in August.

How the Design Changed

Copenhaver described a well-lit path in 2024. In a September 2025 proposal, project engineer Pickering Firm said Arkansas State requested two circuits for accent lighting along the bridge barriers, including lighting for university logos. The redesign also replaced the proposed continuous concrete barrier with barriers at the bridges and a grass buffer elsewhere and added stairs at the university’s request. The council approved the added design work Oct. 9, 2025.

White River priced the decorative fixtures, control cabinet and plaques at about $827,000. That figure shows what the bidder charged for those items in the current design. The records reviewed do not establish how much of the increase from the 2024 estimate was attributable to the university’s lighting request.

Grant and Contract Status

The Arkansas Department of Transportation listed a $500,000 federal grant award for the project. Jonesboro also approved $100,000 in August for construction administration and inspection, separate from the construction bid.

The city’s advertisement calls for notice of an award within 60 days of the bid opening, a period that runs to about Dec. 20. The bid tabulation says the city made no award at the opening, and NEA Report did not find a subsequent construction award in the public records it reviewed.