Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor announced Monday, July 21 that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved funds for construction of an I-555 access road in Poinsett County.

The Senate appropriated $2 million dollars for construction of an access road along the

I-555 highway from Marked Tree to Payneway, which will provide an artery for agriculture and local transportation to the St. Francis River floodway.

The monies were part of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 2009. The annual spending bill funds the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The full Senate is expected to vote on the legislation later this year.

The Appropriations Committee approved more than $13 million in transportation and economic priorities in Arkansas. The $13 million will be applied to six projects in Arkansas.

The Poinsett County project is the only project in Northeast Arkansas.

"Transportation infrastructure is vital to economic development efforts in Arkansas," said Lincoln. "These funds will help ensure that our state receives federal support that will compliment local efforts to create and sustain growth."

"Expansion and modernization of our highways and interchanges is essential for continued economic growth within our state," said Pryor. "Each of these projects is critically important to their surrounding communities. I will do everything I can do to keep this funding intact through the legislative process."