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Arkansas Waterways Commission Director, Cassandra Caldwell, ODOT Waterways Program Manager, Thaddaeus Babb, and Bruce Oakley, Inc. Barge VP, Josh Childress, met with delegates at Legislative Summit in D.C. last week to discuss the top priorities on the MKARNS. Director Caldwell also spoke on the White, Red, Ouachita, and Mississippi Rivers and their priorities. In this […]

A new executive director has been named for the Arkansas Waterways Commission. The commission board has appointed Cassandra Caldwell to take the reins of the organization. As executive director, Caldwell will head up the state’s agency for overseeing and promoting waterborne transportation and economic development for the ports of the Arkansas, Mississippi, O “I am

Director Deidre Smith’s last official order of business with the Arkansas Waterways Commission before resigning her position was to sign two memorandum of agreements with Colonel Eric M. Noe, commander of the Little Rock District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). One of the agreements provides $50,000.00 to cost share with USACE on a new

The city of Fort Smith received a $295,000 grant to fix the port of Fort Smith after it was damaged in 2019 summer floods.  The Arkansas Waterways Commission gave the Port Authority of Fort Smith the grant on December 13th. The deputy city administrator, Jeff Dingman, said the money will be used to fix the

(TB&P) –The Fort Smith Port Authority has agreed to take steps to get the Port of Fort Smith back in condition to open for business. The authority signed a contract with Studio 6 Architects to render professional architectural and engineering design services to rebuild two buildings, parking and a truck scale at the Port of

Halted for months by flooding, barge traffic on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System has resumed on a restricted basis, Tulsa Port of Catoosa Director David Yarbrough said. “Typically, they are moving 12 to 16 barge tows,” he said Thursday following a board meeting of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority. “They are limited

The fast flow and high water on the Arkansas River has had “devastating” consequences for river commerce, the director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission said Tuesday. “I think [the] term ‘catastrophic’ is right on point,” said Deidre Smith. “It’s going to be devastating. I’m sure it’s going to be hard getting navigation back.” Full story

According to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, two levees were topped on Tuesday afternoon. McLean levee in Logan County that was protecting farmland was topped. All residents had already evacuated. As of Tuesday morning, the area of the Arkansas River in that area is at 377 feet. Flood stage is 357 feet. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/may/28/incoming-heavy-rains-could-extend-arkansas-river-f/

Phyllis Harden, Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel, was sworn in as a commissioner to the Arkansas Waterways Commission by Chief Deputy Secretary of State Bill Huffman, Jr. on February 28th, 2019. This makes Mrs. Harden the first ever female to serve as an AWC commissioner, which is a very historic moment for our agency! We

Little Rock Port Authority Grant Reward Mrs. Deidre Smith, Executive Director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission, presents the Port of Little Rock with a grant award in the amount of $260,000. This money will be used to enhance the Port’s infrastructure to better serve the global markets. The White River Regional Port Authority Grant Award