Intermodal Port in Arkansas Moves Forward
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The new intermodal port in Arkansas between Van Buren and Fort Smith continues to move forward with hopes of breaking ground in two years. The Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority met on July 7 to learn about updates to the project.
Roy Andrews, project manager at Pickering Firm Inc., laid out the vision and goals for the project, which is to “champion economic growth” and “actively market and support efforts to build economic assets.”
Andrews explained how the highway, river and rail systems in the area, as well as Arkansas’ central U.S. location, make for an optimum spot for this intermodal port.
The port will be located on the Van Buren side of the Arkansas River next to Highway 59 and will service companies in Van Buren, Fort Smith, and the surrounding areas.
https://t.co/rIqbL2yEoO — Times Record (@TimesRecord) July 9, 2021
The port will be located on the Van Buren side of the Arkansas River next to Highway 59 and will service companies in Van Buren, Fort Smith and the surrounding areas.
With the Arkansas River leading to the Mississippi River, and subsequently into the Gulf of Mexico, international transportation becomes an easy feat, he said. The rails and highways help with national transportation, and all three easily coincide at the future port.
The port will utilize vessels produced by American Patriots Holdings from Florida that will cut travel time by 60%, matching typical freight speeds for rail and truck. USA Truck, which ranks No. 65 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America, is based in Van Buren.
The port will be able to handle around 421,000 20-foot equivalent units annually.
Despite two other ports in the area, Andrews said that there will be no competition between them.
“It complements everybody,” Andrews said.
The authority has been in talks with OK Foods, Tyson Foods Inc. and Simmons Food about transporting products.
Future possibilities mentioned by Andrews would be an overpass added onto Highway 59 near where the port would be located to ease the possible bottleneck caused by trucks leaving the port.
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