FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to work with government officials in Oklahoma and Arkansas to develop plans to improve the Arkansas River.

The Corps announced Thursday that it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Arkansas-Oklahoma Port Operators Association to help ensure the continued viability of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. The plan calls for unspecified future development and modernization of a 455-mile stretch of the river that crosses both Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Port Operators Associated President David Yarbrough says there is about $100 million in maintenance and repairs needed along the river to ensure that navigation remains viable.