What
is the MKARNS?
Four hundred and forty-five miles long with 18 locks and dams, the McClellan-Kerr
Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) is a reliable, year-round
waterway
into the Southwest. Essentially a series of navigation pools connected
by locks,
the waterway enables vessels to overcome a 420-foot difference in elevation
from the Mississippi River to the head of navigation at Catoosa, Oklahoma.
The navigation system was designed for ease of navigation by multi-barge tows,
with ample channel and lock dimensions and bridge clearances. Necessary dredging
is done promptly, and the channel is open year round. The locks and dams are
operated 24 hours a day by the Corps of Engineers;the Coast Guard maintains
the channel markers and other navigation aids.
Since barges are one of the most energy-efficient forms of transportation, there
is a resurgence of interest in shipping by inland waterway. Many types of commodities
are now shipped on the waterway, and there is adequate capacity for future
development. International trade is aided both by good access to foreign ports through
the Gulf of Mexico and by the existence of two foreign trade zones on the waterway.
The waterway will accommodate a variety of barges and towboats; and there is good
access to road, rail, and air transportation.
The waterway has five major publicly developed ports and numerous privately
developed facilities. A considerable amount of land suitable for development is
available at the ports and in other areas. People interested in expanding, locating,
or relocating along the McClellan-Kerr will find that there are many organizations
able to advise and assist on development projects. The Corps issues permits
for a wide variety of projects and can be especially helpful in enabling a potential
developer to understand how the characteristics of the waterway may affect a
particular site.
Location
of the MKARNS
The Arkansas River is one of the Mississippi's largest tributaries.
It flows
1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, through the Royal
Gorge,
on through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas to its confluence with the
Mississippi River. While it is convenient to think of the McClellan-Kerr
essentially
as synonymous with the Arkansas River, this is not in fact the case.
The
downstream portion of the Arkansas River is the major component of the
445-mile-long system, but in all there are four distinct segments of
the waterway:
WHITE RIVER
ENTRANCE CHANNEL. The McClellan-Kerr begins in Arkansas at mile
599 on the Mississippi River, about half way between New Orleans and
St. Louis,
using the first ten miles of the White River as its entrance channel.
ARKANSAS
POST CANAL. The next nine miles of the waterway are totally manmade;
a navigation canal connecting the White River with the Arkansas River.
ARKANSAS
RIVER. For the next 377 miles, through Arkansas and into Oklahoma,
the McClellan-Kerr and the Arkansas River are one and the same.
VERDIGRIS
RIVER. In Oklahoma the waterway leaves the Arkansas River once
again, at Muskogee, and follows the Verdigris River north for the last
50 miles to
the head of navigation at Tulsa's Port of Catoosa, 445 miles from the
Mississippi River.
Navigational Capabilities
Channel depth: 9 feet or more
Channel width: mostly 250 ft. - 300 ft.
Bridge clearances: Horizontal--generally 300 ft.or more
Vertical--52 ft. or more
Lock size: 110 ft. x 600 ft.
Normal current velocity range: 2-4 m.p.h.
Size of tow accommodated: 8 jumbo barges without double lockage
more than 8 with double lockage using tow haulage
What is tow haulage?
Tow haulage is a procedure for drawing barges through a lock by using equipment
on the lock itself to minimize the maneuvering of a towboat when a tow exceeds
the length of the lock.
Since the locks on the waterway can hold only eight jumbo (35 ft. X 195 ft.)
barges plus a towboat, when a tow with a larger number of barges reaches a
lock, the towboat must split the tow into units or "cuts" that fit the lock.
The towboat must lock through with the first cut, push it out of the lock,
and then lock back through to get the second cut of barges. Tow
haulage equipment on a lock, on the other hand, can pull the first cut
through by itself, so that the towboat can stay in its original pushing
position and lock through with the second cut.
Lock operation for oversize tows is more efficient with tow haulage equipment.
Towboats are used more expeditiously, and shippers can take advantage of
the economy of large tows. Larger tows represent a potential for significant
cost reduction for both shippers and their customers. Tow haulage equipment
has been installed at twelve locks on the McClellan-Kerr in Arkansas.
Locks
on the MKARNS
There are 18 locks; 5 in Oklahoma and 13 in Arkansas.
All lock chambers are 110-feet wide by 600 feet long.
Norrell Lock & Dam
Tichnor, AR 72166
(870) 548-2796
|
Lock No. 2
Tichnor, AR 72166
(870) 548-2791
|
Joe Hardin Lock
10401 Lock and Dam 3 Road
Altheimer, AR 72004-8512
(870) 479-3164
|
Emmett Sanders Lock
P. O. Box 7835
Pine Bluff, AR 71611-7385
(870) 534-2127
|
Lock & Dam No. 5
8000 Lock & Dam 5 Road
Tucker, AR 72168
(501) 842-2761
|
David D. Terry Lock & Dam
10100 East Dam Site
Scott, AR 72142
(501) 961-9281
|
Murray Lock & Dam
Overlook Drive
Little Rock, AR 72207
(501) 663-1997
|
Toad Suck Ferry Lock & Dam
Rt. 5, Box 140
6298 Hwy. 60 West
Conway, AR 72032
(501) 327-0853
|
Arthur V. Ormond Lock & Dam
100 Sequoya Road
Morrilton, AR 72110
(501) 354-8402
|
Dardanelle Lock & Dam
P.O. Box 1087
Russellville, AR 72801-1087
(479) 890-4987
|
Ozark-Jeta Taylor Lock & Dam
5400 Lock and Dam Road
Ozark, AR 72949
(479) 667-2120
|
James W. Trimble Lock & Dam
2200 Lock and Dam Road
Barling, AR 72923-0189
(479) 452-0488
|
W. D. Mayo Lock 14
Rt. 2, Box 339
Spiro, OK 74959-9649
(918) 962-3481
|
Robert S. Kerr Lock 15
HC-61, Box 419
Sallisaw, OK 74955-9445
(918) 775-2091 |
Webbers Falls Lock 16
Route 2 Box 22
Gore, OK 74435-0690
(918) 489-5987
|
Chouteau Lock 17
Rt.1, Box 74
Porter, OK 74454-0074
(918) 687-4501 |
Newt Graham Lock 18
Rt. 1, Box 20AA
Inola, OK 74036
(918) 543-2216 |
Montgomery
Point Lock & Dam
628 Wild Goose Lane
Tichner, AR 72166
(870) 548-3400 |