to accommodate golf carts as well, the trail will eventually provide a safer path to destinations such as Walmart, Dollar Tree, and other key commercial nodes, reducing conflicts with vehicle traffic. Funding is already in place for the first two phases, and the city is moving steadily toward construction. In parallel, Highway 69, a key route coming off the interstate and running through town, is slated for widening.The project will create a three-lane crosssection with a center turn lane and sidewalks on both sides, improving safety, traffic flow, and pedestrian connectivity. In Trumann’s case,“downtown” does not look like the traditional town square. Over the past 80 years, the commercial heart of the community has moved—first from either side of the railroad tracks, then to what is now Highway 463. Today, the city is candid about the fact that its “new downtown” is forming near the interstate, anchored by Steel Creek, the new nursing home, and other interstate-adjacent development. Older commercial corridors along 463 are being revitalized, but the gravitational pull of traffic and opportunity is unmistakably toward the highway. STEEL CREEK: A GAME-CHANGING DEVELOPMENT If there is a single development that captures Trumann’s emerging potential, it is Steel Creek. Conceived and underwritten by the Roach family, long-time owners of a major conveyor manufacturing company in the city, Steel Creek is both a statement of confidence and a tangible blueprint for how Trumann can grow. The project includes an 80,000-square-foot warehouse that can be leased or sold to bring in new businesses, or retained for Roach’s own distribution operations. Surrounding that anchor are multiple commercial lots earmarked for banks, restaurants, retail, and other service uses. A portion of the site is designated for residential development.The vision is a fully integrated mixed commercial and residential neighborhood where families can live, work, dine, and recreate within walking distance. Residential plans at Steel Creek focus on smallerlot, single-detached homes targeted at median to That expanse of bottomland hardwood forest is a destination for kayaking, canoeing, hunting, and fishing, giving the trail both recreational and ecological significance. When fully built out over an anticipated five phases, the trail will give residents and visitors a safe corridor to walk, jog, and ride bicycles. It will also support local mobility in a practical way. Designed 188 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01
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