Moving Freight on Inland Waterways takes Public, Private Sector Collaboration

As weather extremes, aging infrastructure and growing freight demands place increasing pressure on the U.S. inland waterway system, industry and government leaders say one factor is indispensable to maintaining reliable navigation: collaboration.

That was the central message from a panel discussion during FreightWeekSTL 2026, where representatives from American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed how coordinated planning, shared data and targeted infrastructure investments are helping keep commerce moving on the Mississippi River.

The session, Behind the Barges: How the Mississippi River Stays Open for Commerce, featured Randy Chamness, Vice President of Vessel Operations for ACBL, and Bradley Krischel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District.

Chamness opened by underscoring the scale of ACBL’s operations and the strategic importance of the St. Louis region. With a fleet of approximately 3,200 barges and more than 2,000 employees, about 70% of the company’s vessels transit through the area, making it one of the most critical hubs in the inland transportation network.

For the Corps of Engineers, maintaining navigation on roughly 300 miles of the Mississippi River in the bi-state St. Louis region requires constant vigilance. Krischel noted that preserving the federally authorized 9-foot-deep, 300-foot-wide navigation channel is an ongoing engineering challenge because of the river’s constantly shifting nature.

“The river’s very dynamic; it’s always changing,” Krischel said. “It takes constant monitoring and a proactive approach to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently through the region.”

Randy Chamness, Vice President of Vessel Operations for ACBL
That work extends beyond dredging to include maintenance of river training structures, bank stabilization through revetments and, in some cases, underwater rock removal to preserve navigable depths.
Both speakers stressed that engineering solutions alone are insufficient. Instead, they argued that close coordination between operators and government agencies enables faster responses to changing river conditions and minimizes disruptions to freight movement.

“It’s really a year-round partnership,” Chamness said. “A lot of the work is done in the off season, planning, collaborating and communicating on how we can work together in these trouble areas to keep the channel open.”

Krischel echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the value of combining operational intelligence from towboat operators with the Corps’ river management expertise.

“It’s consistent two-way communication with the people who are actually out on the river every day,” he said. “The private sector brings that real-time operational awareness that is combined with our system management, so we’re in a much better position to keep the system moving safely and efficiently.”

That collaboration is becoming increasingly important as operators contend with greater variability in river conditions. Rapid transitions between flooding, low water and seasonal ice events are creating new operational challenges that require enhanced forecasting and planning.

“It’s no longer enough just to react,” Krischel said. “We have to stay a step ahead of what the system might be doing.”

From an operator’s perspective, Chamness said the greatest risks often occur during those transition periods.

“The river is actually most dangerous when it’s in transition,” he said, noting that shifting sediment and rapidly changing channel conditions can significantly disrupt navigation.

Looking ahead, both panelists identified infrastructure investment as another area where public-private alignment can deliver long-term benefits. Krischel pointed to construction of the new 1,200-foot lock at Lock and Dam 25 near Winfield, Missouri, as a project that will reduce congestion by allowing full tows to transit without breaking apart.

Chamness suggested additional gains could be realized through deeper navigation channels and proactive dredging programs that would enable barges to carry heavier loads, improving efficiency and economics across the supply chain.

The discussion reinforced a broader theme increasingly evident across the inland maritime sector: sustaining the reliability and competitiveness of the nation’s waterways will depend not only on engineering excellence and capital investment, but also on strong, continuous partnerships between industry and government. As river conditions become more unpredictable and freight demand continues to grow, that collaborative model may prove to be the system’s greatest asset.

Bradley Krischel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District