Oklahoma and Arkansas Port Operators Group Lobbies for MKARNS Funding

Members of the Arkansas Oklahoma Port Operators Association were in Washington, DC, this week meeting with key members of Congress about what they say is critically needed funding for maintenance of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

Thursday, April 3rd 2025, 10:00 pm

By: Alex Cameron


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M-40

The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is a federally designated 'marine highway,' part of a system of inland waterways and intercoastal waterways across the country. MKARNS is designated "M-40."

445

The length of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System — the distance from the Port of Catoosa to the Mississippi River — is 445 miles.

18

There are 18 sets of locks and dams along the MKARNS, accommodating the 420-foot drop in elevation from Tulsa to where the Arkansas River converges with the Mississippi River.

$4.3 billion

The approximate value, according to the Arkansas Oklahoma Port Operators Association (AOPOA), of the nearly 12 million tons of goods moved annually on the MKARNS.

$4.6 billion

The approximate cost, according to AOPOA, of replacing the critical structures—the lock walls and floors—of the navigation system.

$550 million

The current estimated cost, according to AOPOA, of making needed repairs to MKARNS.

$143 million

The Army Corps of Engineers' current appropriation, according to AOPOA, is for operations and maintenance of MKARNS.

12,000

The approximate total number of miles of inland waterways in the United States.

Alex Cameron

Alex Cameron is Griffin Media’s Washington Bureau Chief, reporting from our nation’s capital on issues that impact Oklahomans. An award-winning journalist, Alex first joined the News 9 team in 1995, and his reporting has taken him around the world, covering stories in Bosnia, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Seattle, New York and Ukraine. 

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