Clarksville Mayor Jo Anne Smiley is part of a national effort to get the Marine Highway Program sailing full steam ahead.

Smiley recently returned from the third annual Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative meeting in Washington, D.C. The group is made up of mayors from communities in 10 states along the waterway, and Smiley serves on its executive committee.

The Marine Highway Program is aimed at using the nation’s rivers to take the transportation burden off of taxpayer-funded road projects. Smiley said the effort is imperative to ensuring the economic strength of communities along the Mississippi.

Other topics discussed during the visit included flood control and riverfront development.