Area reps to attend Union Pacific conference to discuss possible Fort Smith intermodal facility

The Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority (WAIA, formerly RITA) will send representatives to Omaha, Neb., for the Short Line Railroad & Port Conference hosted by Union Pacific on Aug. 14 and 15.

The authority’s invite from UP Manager of Ports David Black was revealed on Wednesday (July 18) by Rep. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, and consultant to the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD), WAIA’s administrative arm.

Pitsch will attend the conference with WAPDD Executive Director Sasha Grist and other representation from Ports America.

“It’s their recommendation. They’re going with us,” Pitsch said when asked about any potential for conflict between the Union Pacific appearance and the exclusive six-month memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ports America.

On April 20, Union Pacific — acting in response to the March MOU — designated the Fort Smith region as one of its official “hotspots.” The company’s website lists a possible future facility as the Northwest Arkansas Regional Port, which would be located within a 2,000-acre tract encompassing Arkansas Highway 59, Van Buren, and Crawford County. Among the highlights, UP writes, “Ports America envisions a multi-commodity, multi-modal facility capable of handling and storing all types of cargo. The site is strategically located adjacent to the Arkansas River, Union Pacific’s rail line, and highways I-40 and I-49. Ports America plans to leverage Union Pacific’s rail connectivity to the site and vast rail network to service both import and export cargo.”

During the conference Pitsch and Grist will have the chance to pitch the region’s strengths to UP’s marketing department and other key decision-makers. While Pitsch did not recommend any specific action on Wednesday, he told the WAIA Board it was situations like this where an outside consultant “who speaks their language” should be considered.

WAIA previously worked with a higher-level consultant through John Vickerman. Vickerman did the study that led to the MOU with Ports America. The MOU will expire around the time of WAIA’s October meeting. Pitsch said the Board was “kind of relying on Sasha and me to be representative of what it is you have and what it is you do, and I worry that we have the expertise to talk to Fortune 50 companies about the technology.”

“We’re here because we have regional people supporting this, and at some level, we looked very expert when we had one of the top consultants (Vickerman) on our team. But like, this Omaha trip, it’s COO-type stuff instead of CEO,” and that’s something the WAIA Board “needs to think about,” Pitsch said, adding “what’s the next phase, and what kind of level of technology and understanding do we need to have to have credibility?”

While Pitsch said he didn’t think WAIA was “there yet” in having to hire a consultant, “we’re headed that way.”

“It’s something we need to think about as we’re moving down this track because it seems like other people are ready to play. And that’s good.”

INTERSTATE 49 UPDATE
Also Wednesday, the Board received an update from the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) on the potential to build and toll a new section of Interstate 49 (I-49) that would connect approximately 13.7 miles between Highway 22 in Sebastian County and the I-40/I-49 interchange in Crawford County. ArDOT is looking at two-lane and four-lane options as well as possible interchange locations and emergency response routes, among other issues.

ArDOT District Engineer Chad Adams offered examples of the types of issues the agency is looking at: “Where is our emergency access? Where do we put the interchanges? If we sever a road, do we provide connectivity from one side to the other? If we don’t, how does that affect response times for emergency personnel?”

Adams said he expects the scope of work, which includes a tolling feasibility study, will be ready for a recommendation by October. Gun Club Road and Thornhill Street in Van Buren, as well as Clear Creek and New Town Roads in Alma, were listed as possible interchange sites should the project come to fruition.

Fact sheets and a full project schedule are available at the ArDOT I49 website.