Inland Waterways System
America's Inland Waterways System
12,000 Mile Delivery Route
The inland waterways of the United States are a unique resource shared by only 24 states. These waterways provide direct access to international markets and are ideal locations for industry and distribution centers.
Fifteen percent of all cargo is carried on the inland waterway system. The inland waterway transportation industry moves cargo worth nearly $2.4 billion, provides hundreds of jobs and contributes $2.4 million in state and federal payroll taxes each year.
Major products that move on Arkansas waterways are grains, steel, fertilizers, petroleum and petroleum products, aggregates, paper, coal, chemicals, and wood products. American jobs depend on the economical transportation of raw materials to fuel the economy of the nation. Waterways provide that means.
Ports, or Maritime Multimodal Industrial Centers, are natural industrial sites for concentrating basic industries to minimize movement of heavy cargoes over highways and railroads. Receipt of raw materials, manufacturing, warehousing, intermodal transfers and distribution can all occur within port areas.
