DOVER, Ark. — Dover has wanted a walking trail for years. Now the city has $179,000 in federal funding to build one at City Park, including a loop through six acres of land that’s been sitting mostly unused.
Dover is one of three local communities receiving grants from the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Dardanelle was awarded $320,000 for more lighting and streetscaping along Front Street, while Belleville will receive $147,000 for sidewalks. That’s $646,000 coming to Pope and Yell counties.
“We’ve wanted a trail for a while,” Dover Mayor Roger Lee said.
Right now, residents looking for a place to walk often make laps around the ballpark parking lot. The new trail will give them a much better option.
Engineering firm Crafton Tull designed a trail with two connected loops. One winds through the existing park, while the other stretches into six acres of open space near Cedar Creek Drive.
The city bought that additional property years ago and has kept it mowed, but hasn’t done much with it. Lee hopes the trail will be just the beginning for that part of the park, with the possibility of adding exercise stations and other features down the road.
And there’s more to the project than just a place to walk.
The plans include a paved asphalt trail with 15 lights, along with changes to the parking areas. Right now, vehicles park in the middle of the playground area. The city plans to move that parking closer to the restrooms, with 10 gravel spaces and two concrete spaces for people with disabilities.
Lee says getting cars out of the middle of the park will make things safer for families using the playground.
The whole project is estimated to cost $223,776, including engineering. The federal grant will cover $179,000, leaving Dover to pay about $44,800.
The city started working on the current plans in 2025, asking residents for ideas and working with Crafton Tull on a design. Dover applied for grant funding last year and tried again in 2026, this time committing to a local match. Several residents also wrote letters supporting the trail.
Lee said he’ll attend a meeting with ARDOT in Little Rock on Dec. 10 to go over the grant process and next steps.
Dardanelle has been working on Front Street for years, and another $320,000 will help the city continue those improvements.
Mayor Jimmy Witt said this round of funding will pay for lighting and streetscaping downtown.
It’s the sixth phase of the Front Street project, and Dardanelle has been successful in getting federal grants for several of the earlier phases.
The city received $163,216 in 2015, another $150,000 in 2020 and $300,000 in 2024.
Add this year’s $320,000, and Dardanelle has secured more than $933,000 in federal funding for Front Street through those four grant rounds.
Belleville is getting $147,000 for sidewalk improvements, rounding out the three local projects selected for funding.
The money comes through ARDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program, which helps communities pay for things like sidewalks, walking trails, bike paths, pedestrian crossings and lighting.
The federal grants cover 80% of eligible project costs, with local governments or other applicants covering the remaining 20%.
Across Arkansas, 38 projects received approximately $14.7 million through the program this year. ARDOT also awarded about $1.4 million to nine projects through its separate Recreational Trails Program.
