Five public ports in Arkansas have received more than $450,000 in grants, the Arkansas Waterways Commission announced Wednesday.
The ports will receive $450,644.42 through the Arkansas Ports, Intermodal and Waterways Grant to support capital improvements.
“We received over $1.2 million in requests and wish we could fulfill all the requests,” Gene Higginbotham, executive director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission, said in a news release. “We hope to have additional funds in the future. Developing our ports is critical to our state’s economic development.”
Under the program, ports can implement capital projects such as construction, improvement, capital facility rehabilitation and expansion of a public port facility. Dredging projects are also eligible, the release said.
Winning ports and projects:
- Crossett Port, $50,000, hard surface existing gravel road circling the port warehouse;
- Fort Smith Public Port Authority, $125,644.42, to construct a bulk storage building up to 30,000-SF;
- Helena-West Helena/Phillips County Port Authority, $50,000, to replace crossties from existing Helena Harbor rail track;
- Little Rock Port Authority, $100,000, to install enhanced perimeter fencing and CCTV surveillance;
- Osceola Port Authority, $125,000, to clean, patch, and overlay entrance road and all paved areas within the port.
The Arkansas Waterways Commission is the sole state agency responsible for developing, promoting and protecting waterborne transportation in Arkansas. It also promotes economic development for ports on the five commercially navigable rivers of the state: the Arkansas, Mississippi, Ouachita, Red and White rivers.
Sign up for Daily E-news
