Plans underway to deepen Arkansas River Navigation System

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will deepen the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System channel from 9 feet to 12 feet, allowing barges to carry approximately 43% more cargo.

The work is scheduled to begin in 2025.

The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System extends 445 miles from Tulsa and runs through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River. Approximately 11 million tons of cargo is shipped yearly on the river, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"This will help take the congestion off of our concrete interstates and put them on our liquid highways, which is currently right now only 37% capacity," said Marty Shell, owner of 5 Rivers Distribution and operator of the Port of Fort Smith. "A 12-foot channel would allow us to be able to compete with lower Mississippi River states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Missouri."

Every day, workers unload thousands of tons of cargo on barges at the Port of Fort Smith.

"We bring products in that go to about 14 different states. When you leave this facility, the next navigable port is Long Beach, California," Shell said. "Right now, we're mandated by the Corps to be the 9-foot draft. The Arkansas portion of the current navigation system is 95% 12 foot or greater. We have encouraged the Corps to allow us to start doing so, and we're hoping, with the new construction starting in 2025, that soon after that, we'd be able to start shipping 43% more products on a barge versus what we're shipping right now."

Arkansas Waterways Commission Director Cassandra Caldwell told 40/29 News more than $3.5 billion worth of goods are shipped on the river each year, supporting approximately 55,000 jobs. Caldwell said allowing more goods to be shipped by water with the deepening of the navigation channel will help the region's already congested highways and interstates.

"People don't really notice because it's not getting in the way of our morning commute," Caldwell said. "Just one tow, which is just a boat and 12 barges, is the equivalent of 720 semi-trucks and we move about 670 of those per year. So, 670 times 720 trucks is how many trucks the barges are keeping off of our roads."

Shell said the engineers are looking at new methods to rework sections of the river channel instead of traditional dredging methods.

"What they're trying to do right now is put in revetments in rock work to allow the system to be able to self-dredge itself so we wouldn't have to spend dredging dollars in the future. That would be opening up some more dikes and some more revetments for the recreational side, for the fishermen and for the hunters to be able to have grounds that they haven't been able to have for over 50 years," Shell said.

Shell told 40/29 News that deepening the river channel could also lead to less flooding along the river. In 2019, homes and businesses in Fort Smith and the River Valley were inundated with floodwaters in what was the worst river flood event to ever be recorded.

"An inch or two makes a difference from water coming into your home, coming into your business. So having that extra 3-foot channel or 3-foot more water to be able to get out of this area, I personally believe it would be a benefit to all of us," Shell said.