ARKANSAS RIVER CONNECTION PROJECT Connecting trails, rails and water-based transportation to create new economic opportunity.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM
BY GREG NABHOLZ
Arkansas River Connection envisioned as transportation hub for statewide tourism travel.
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n 2004, I — along with a group of dedicated economic and tourism leaders from Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, Central Arkansas and Southeast Arkansas launched an effort to look at how the Arkansas River and trail systems, railways, scenic byways, airports and other transportation hubs adjacent to and/or intersecting with the Arkansas River could be integrated in such a way that an entire new tourism experience and economic development tool for the state could be utilized. In 2006, Arkansas River Connection was named and organized as a 501(c)(6), a mission has formally adopted and funds were raised
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for the first phase of a master plan study to identify all the assets that existed along a corridor where the river and its connections spanned. The mission of the organization is to analyze and connect tourist, recreational and entertainment attractions along the Arkansas River using multimodal forms of transportation for the purpose of expanding economic development and improving the quality of life. The name includes “Arkansas River” because it is the primary focus and backbone of this project. “Connection” refers to linking the cities, towns and counties along the Arkansas River and other
