Inland Waterways Infrastructure: The Time is Now
As Americans do each year, with 2026 just the same, we are hopeful for a more promising year, with better outcomes and calmer seas. But for construction of the Nation’s inland waterways lock and dam infrastructure, there is a strong sense of urgency like never before.Since 1987, just 10 projects to modernize or expand locks on the inland waterways system have been completed, with seven of them started and finished between 1987 and 1997 at an average cost overrun of 33%.Since 2008, only two lock modernization projects have been completed.
Funding the Flow: America’s Inland Waterways Need a Smarter Investment Strategy
The path toward funding the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) – and the critical inland infrastructure maintenance and construction of locks and dams that it does – is neither straight nor clear. Jen Armstrong, VP, Government Relations, Waterways Council, visited recently with Maritime Reporter TV to discuss in detail the historical context of how USACE funding has evolved in the past 50 years. A functional and efficient locks and dams system is not simply a matter of catering to inland waterway operators; rather it is a logistics imperative to fuel the U.S.
