ARKANSAS, USA — It's no secret that Arkansas waterways are a gold mine for the state, especially the Arkansas River from Fort Smith to the Mississippi River.
"The sales impacts in Arkansas alone are $5.5 billion annually, and employment impacts nationwide, 137,621 jobs. In Arkansas alone, 50,558," Arkansas Waterways Commission Director Cassandra Caldwell said.
Caldwell said she's not taking anything away from the trucking industry, but with the nation's third most waterway miles in the country, shipping on the Arkansas River is less restrictive.
"It's a much more efficient, cost-effective means of transportation, especially if you're talking bulk products or oversized, overweight cargo that you know you might have some restrictions on the interstates," Caldwell said.
Even with more than 40,000 maritime jobs already in Arkansas, Caldwell said there is plenty of room for more.
"There's been talk for some time about how we're losing a lot of our skilled trade workforce because of that push to college," she said. "We ultimately would like to have, you know, a full maritime training facility in Arkansas. Because right now, if anybody wants to do that, they've got to go to New Orleans or Kentucky."
Caldwell said business can only get better. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is still planning to dredge the entire Arkansas River to deepen it from 9 feet to 12 feet, meaning bigger barges can carry more cargo.
Aside from maritime jobs and services, Caldwell said recreation is another big money maker for Arkansas.
"There's a lot of money in recreation, and Arkansas is the natural state," she said. "We love to be outside, and we love to enjoy our state's parks, and the waterways are just a part of that."
Last year, Caldwell said the state took in more than $185 million in taxes from barge traffic on Arkansas waterways.
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