LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Oct. 30, 2025) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders alongside the Arkansas Department of Commerce today announced that the Arkansas Waterways Commission is awarding more than $4.6M in grants for four Arkansas ports and one intermodal authority through the Arkansas Port, Intermodal, and Waterway Development Grant Program.
The program reinvests ad valorem taxes paid by industries on the value of commodities shipped on Arkansas’ navigable waterways into public ports and intermodal authorities to fund capital improvements and dredging projects.
“Arkansas sits in the heart of the heartland and is connected to some of the nation’s most dynamic metro areas by river, rail, road, and runway,” said Governor Sanders. “Today’s funding announcement strengthens our commitment to preserving Arkansas’ waterways, safeguarding a cornerstone of North American trade, and opening new doors for economic growth in the Natural State.”
“These projects serve a wide range of needs – from safety to erosion prevention, to enhancing economic viability – helping the Arkansas Waterways Commission achieve its mission of developing, promoting, and protecting Arkansas’ commercially navigable waterways,” said Chairman of the Arkansas Waterways Commission John Edwards.
The projects receiving funding are:
- Central Arkansas Intermodal Authority in Morrilton on the Arkansas River, awarded $400,000 for roadwork in a new port area.
- Chicot-Desha Port Authority in McGehee on the Mississippi River, awarded $199,917 to relocate and refurbish truck and grain scales.
- City of Fort Smith Port Authority on the Arkansas River, awarded $1,980,252.32 for warehouse space, a concrete materials storage pad, and signage.
- Little Rock Port Authority on the Arkansas River, awarded $665,552.62 for installation of safety railings and gates along the dock edge of three docks, three claw lid lifters, and eight sectional barges to create a floating dock for lid-handling.
- Osceola Port Authority on the Mississippi River, awarded $1,342,732.50 for the construction of retaining walls to prevent bank erosion.
About the Arkansas Waterways Commission
The Arkansas Waterways Commission is the sole state agency responsible for developing, promoting, and protecting waterborne transportation in Arkansas. The Commission also promotes economic development for ports on the five commercially navigable rivers in the state: the Arkansas, Mississippi, Ouachita, Red, and White. The Arkansas Waterways Commission is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. To learn more visit waterways.arkansas.gov.