Environmental study work underway on slackwater harbor in Van Buren

Progress is being made to build the long-awaited slackwater harbor in Van Buren. An engineering firm has been hired to conduct the environmental impact review, and advertising for design work could happen soon.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced in November 2023 a $15.096 million grant to help fund construction of the harbor. The harbor will be off the main channel of the Arkansas River and will be 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide and have the capacity to moor and offload up to eight barges at a time. The harbor will have roughly 2,000 feet of dock frontage with a 50-foot-wide concrete deck for mobile cranes.

Total cost of the harbor is estimated at $18.87 million. Five Rivers Distribution, which has port operations in Van Buren and operates the Port of Fort Smith, has committed to providing the $3.774 million in matching funds. The slackwater harbor project will be located on a man-made channel off the Arkansas River at Five Rivers Terminal near Van Buren.

Ashley Garris, assistant executive director of the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD), told Talk Business & Politics on Monday (May 20) that the environmental study has begun.

“FTN Associates/Olsson has started on the environmental part of this project. We are currently working on the RFQ (request for qualifications) for design so we can advertise soon. WAPDD staff are working on the pre-award checklist also. This is a requirement of the grant and must be done before we get our grant agreement,” Garris noted.

Olsson is a Lincoln, Neb.-based engineering firm that has an office in Fayetteville and recently acquired Little Rock-based FTN Associates.

Garris said the earliest construction could begin would be about two years, with the timeframe depending on design completion and approval, and how soon permits can be obtained. WAPDD Executive Director Sasha Grist said in January that harbor completion could take up to five years.

The new harbor will enhance reliability of the port because it will be less susceptible to operational disruptions and damage resulting from fluctuations in the flow rate of the river, according to MARAD.