There are many ways to measure the success of a highway project: costs, tons of materials used in construction, daily usage numbers, jobs created, and finishing ahead of schedule are just a few metrics. But another might be the number of people willing to show up for a dedication event when the temperature is near 100 degrees, and there is no shade anywhere on site.

Constructing bridges, repairing roads, and designing and building new roads is expensive. No one questions that. Then there are exceptionally large projects that are hugely expensive and vastly different than a county repairing two miles of neglected road. Think 30 Crossing, the new bridge over the Arkansas River at Barling, the new Springdale bypass, and the Broadway Bridge in downtown Little Rock that really gave the city a new centerpiece.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was in Arkansas recently to look at the progress on multiple projects that are creating jobs and making travel easier. He spent time with ARDOT Director Jared Wiley and U.S. Representative Steve Womack.