Let it flow

Funding for river harbor finally pours in

It’s not hard to feel like a slacker when it comes to knowing about slackwater harbors. Most Arkansans do business on terra firma. Shipping is about how much product one can get on a truck and how long it takes to drive it to its destination. So when news comes along about change in the way that materials are transported on the Arkansas River, it can be about as clear as the water that flows into the Mississippi River (sometimes known as Big Muddy).

But almost everyone understands dollars, and the Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority recently got word it would get a lot of them. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration awarded a grant of more than $15 million for development of a slackwater harbor along the Arkansas River in Crawford County.

What this means is construction of a new port area where up to eight barges at a time will be able to moor. The harbor will be about 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide, and provide a calm spot out of the river’s current for loading or offloading of the barges’ cargo. It creates a port with a concrete deck above the 100-year flood plain, ensuring in all but the worst scenarios its capacity to continue operations year round.

Its importance for the River Valley area is signified by the partnership of Crawford and Sebastian counties, the cities of Van Buren and Fort Smith, and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority in pursuing the grant, along with the nearly $3.8 million committed by Five Rivers Distribution, a private company that operates the ports of Van Buren and Fort Smith.

Increasing the capacity to use the Arkansas River for transporting materials is a no-brainer. Consider these astonishing numbers: One barge can carry as much as 60 or 70 semitrucks. And barges can be strung together, making the river an efficient way to move a lot of products or raw materials. The project has been a dream for the region’s economic development leaders for years.

Where there’s a lot of options for shipping, there’s a lot of potential to further attract business to a community or region.

Congratulations to all of the partners who worked to keep attention on this harbor project for all those years. Undoubtedly, there were times when it seemed it might never happen. Federal funding was made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, but without the help of any votes from Arkansas’ delegation in Washington, D.C.

We’re sure they had their reasons, but at least for this long-awaited project in Crawford County, we’re glad to see the investment.