NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENTS
The 85+ year-old navigation system continues to experience some of the longest lockage delays in the country due to single, undersized 600’ lock chambers (most tows are 1,200 feet in length), and downtime for repair of aged gates and machinery. The existing locks and dams were constructed in the 1930s and 1940s with 600-foot locks. Current lock delays average 4-5 hours. Lack of funding for lock and dam rehabilitation and major maintenance activities in recent years has increased the risk of component failures and lock closures.
The June 2012 Institute for Water Resources report on U.S. Port and Inland Waterway Modernization found that the Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway (UMR-IWW) navigation system has adequate capacity through 2020, but will require maintenance of existing capacity. Although the UMR-IWW tonnage has decreased over the last decade, this trend is expected to reverse due to increased demand for grain exports and enlargement of the Panama Canal. A long-term strategy is essential for maintaining reliable and cost-effective inland navigation. Inland navigation is estimated to save $23.74 per ton compared to overland transportation (Planning Center for Expertise for Inland Navigation, January 31, 2012). The estimated savings for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway based on 2010 tonnage values would be $1.44 billion and $0.86 billion, respectively.