Arkansas River
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS)
The MKARNS provides navigation through Arkansas to Catoosa, Oklahoma, near Tulsa. In 2015, the MKARNS received the designation of Marine Highway 40 Corridor (M-40) through the US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) America's Highway Program. 308 miles of channel are located in Arkansas and public ports are located at Pine Bluff, Little Rock, and Fort Smith. An estimated $5 billion in private investments have been made on the navigation system since it was opened in 1971.
The MKARNS is a 445-mile navigation system originating at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma and flowing in the southeast direction Arkansas to the Mississippi River, effectively connecting the heartland of America to the global supply chain. A series of 18 locks and dams maintain water levels to support navigation through the MKARNS 420-ft drop in elevation.
The MKARNS is a multi-beneficiary, complex navigation system. Beneficiaries include water transportation, flood risk mitigation, hydropower generation, recreation, water supply, and fish and wildlife habitat.
MKARNS Economic Impacts
The MKARNS Regional Economic Impact Study was updated in 2024. The project was partially funded by the Arkansas Research Alliance through the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC). The work was conducted in conjunction with the Arkansas Waterways Commission, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, and the University of Arkansas.
TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS:
The average annual freight tonnage throughout the entire MKARNS is approximately 12 million tons. On land, 381,857 semi-trucks OR 99,283 railcars would be necessary to transport an equivalent amount of freight.
COMMODITIES WITH HIGHEST SHARE OF TONNAGE:
Many commodities are shipped on the MKARNS, but the largest share of the tonnage includes Sand, Gravel, and Rock; Food and Food Products; and Chemical Fertilizers.
SALES IMPACTS:
Largest Contributors: Port Activities ($8.4 billion); Transportation Cost Savings ($5.268 billion); and Shippers Activities ($3.229 billion). Total Sales Impact: $22.7 billion nationwide; the AR segment contributes $17.2 billion nationally; the OK segment contributes $5.6 billion nationally. Individual States: AR = $5.5 billion; OK = $1.9 billion; KS = $1.71 million
EMPLOYMENT IMPACTS:
largest Contributors: Port Activities; Transportation and Cost Savings; and Recreation. Total Jobs: 137,621 Jobs Nationwide; the AR segment contributes 104,095 jobs nationally; the OK segment contributes 33,526 jobs nationwide. Individual States: AR = 40,558 jobs; OK = 12,587 jobs; KS = 902 jobs.
BUSINESS TAX IMPACTS:
Largest Contributors: Port Activities, Transportation Cost Savings, Recreation. Total Business Taxes: $806 million Nationwide; the AR segment contributes $609 million nationally; the OK segment contributes $197 million nationally. Individual States: AR = $185,300,490; OK = $76,629,730; KS = $4,486,413.
VIDEO: Check out our MKARNS VIDEO to learn more about the impacts the MKARNS makes on the Natural State.
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Article: Oklahoma economy floats on commerce driven by McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System
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Learn more about the Arkansas River by visiting https://www.arkansas.com/river/arkansas-river-okla-to-little-rock/1.
McCellan-Kerr Arkansas Navigation System - entry from Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Port Authority Water Navigation System
Informational video on how our waterway navigation system benifits thousands of people, jobs and our economy.
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Port Authority Water Navigation System from Jono Sinclair on Vimeo.
Filmed and Edited by Jono SinclairA River of Energy (Fort Smith)
"It's a global marketplace. And Fort Smith is a part of it." – Asa Hutchinson, 46th Governor of Arkansas
In the late 1800s, the river base of Fort Smith was known as civility's last outpost before heading into the Wild West. Now, it's known as the location of one of this country's brightest economic revivals. By outworking cities from coast to coast, Fort Smith has dropped its unemployment rate threefold, partnered with several international companies, and is now planning for years of good fortune.
Meet the civic trailblazers and the economic development team who built on, and built out, Fort Smith's unlimited potential. And see how OG&E's multi-million-dollar grid program is a critical investment in our continued success.
Watch the video here:
http://www.ogetogether.com/2019/2/3/a-river-of-energy/#.XFkWh2Zztnw.email=0A=0A---
Drone Footage of the Great Flood of 2019:
This was the first footage before it had crested: https://vimeo.com/339615256/10c1f88036 And this is the one from when it was cresting: https://vimeo.com/341414666/0e94b755d2
