Grant Progress Detailed At Arkansas Waterways Commission Meeting
The Arkansas Waterways Commission met April 7, its first meeting since the departure of executive director Cassandra Caldwell to take a position with American Cruise Lines. Members had a lot to report on grants received and progress made on infrastructure projects.
Bryan Day, executive director of the Port of Little Rock, presented updates on a mooring upgrade project to expand barge fleeting capacity. Materials were delivered and construction began April 8 after the Port of Little Rock Authority received the permit from the Corps of Engineers. The project is scheduled to be completed by July and will improve safety, efficiency and reliability of operations.
Dustin Collyge reported that the Fort Smith Port Authority has completed construction of the fourth 30,000-square-foot bulk storage warehouse. The project benefit is the advancement of waterborne transportation for moving bulk materials on the McClellan Kerr-Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) for customers close to Fort Smith and the Arkansas River Valley. “This expansion of the indoor storage capacity at the Port of Fort Smith is vital to serving the existing needs of the community,” he said.
Allison Thompson, president and CEO at Economic Development Alliance and Chamber for Jefferson County, Ark., reported on the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Port Authority’s planned infrastructure and dredging repairs project. The Port of Pine Bluff is a Foreign Trade Zone, which enables additional benefits to businesses utilizing the port.
“These repairs and dredging are needed to remain active and imperative for growing activity at the port,” Thompson said.
Existing contracts can be fulfilled safely without harming the dock or the barges.
Don Bradley presented updates and photos on the Central Arkansas Intermodal Authority port access road project. He reported that engineering and soil samples have been completed, and the Arkansas Department of Transportation has approved the permit to start the project. Materials have been ordered, and the project can begin when weather conditions improve. Completing this access road across the levee is critical, he said, to constructing the future phases of the project, including the dock and mooring facilities.
Finally, Allen Evans reported on the Chicot-Desha Intermodal Authority project of the rehabilitation and modernization of the water storage tank and well house. The electrical work has been completed in the chlorinator building, and the well motor has been checked and realigned. If weather permits, the project should be completed in May. This project will ensure quality drinking water and abundance of storage for volunteer firefighters to respond to fires.
