(a) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) True Grit, a novel written by native Arkansan Charles Portis, is considered by some critics to be one of the great American novels;
(2) The novel follows the story of a tenacious young girl as she travels in Arkansas from the Dardanelle area to Fort Smith where she hires a United States Marshal to help her avenge her father's death;
(3) The novel has been adapted into screenplays for two (2) popular movies of the same name; and
(4) The popularity of the tale and the attention it brings to the state make a compelling case for renaming the portion of Arkansas Highway 22 between Dardanelle and Fort Smith the “True Grit Trail”.
(b) The route along Arkansas Highway 22 between Dardanelle, Arkansas, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, is designated the “True Grit Trail”.
(c) The Arkansas Department of Transportation shall erect appropriate signs along Arkansas Highway 22 between Dardanelle, Arkansas, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, designating the route as the “True Grit Trail”.
(d) If the Arkansas Department of Transportation does not have the funds available to erect the signs required under subsection (c) of this section, the Arkansas Department of Transportation may accept and use gifts, grants, and donations received from private, public, and nonprofit sources, including without limitation a city street department or a county road department for:
(1) Acquiring and installing the signs required under subsection (c) of this section; and
(2) Maintaining, replacing, or reconstructing the signs required under subsection (c) of this section.