MKARNS Deepening Project Benefits From IIJA
The Little Rock Engineer District is receiving an additional $168.5 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that will be used for the district’s civil works program during fiscal year 2023.
The proposed funding will improve the reliability and resilience of the district’s multi-purpose reservoirs, inland waterway navigation system and flood control projects.
The IIJA funds include $62.7 million for operations and maintenance to provide reliable navigation and $92.6 million for the 12-foot channel deepening project on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS).
Other projects receiving 2023 IIJA funding include Nimrod Dam, Clearwater Dam and Millwood Lake. Nimrod Dam in west central Arkansas is receiving $2 million for crane rehab, design and repair, and Clearwater Dam in southeastern Missouri is receiving $850,000 for crane repair.
Millwood Lake is receiving $4.2 million for emergency repairs to Okay Levee in southwest Arkansas.
The district’s Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) also received an additional $6.2 million in funding allocations. The CAP allows the Corps to plan, design and implement water resource projects, on a smaller scale, without additional project-specific congressional authorization. This is particularly useful for local governments and agencies that need help with anything from streambank protection to storm and flood damage reduction, the district said.
The funds received for the 12-foot deepening project were part of an addendum to the FY22 IIJA Construction Spending Plan and not part of the FY23 IIJA plan.
