We realized the value of water transportation in the early part of the 20th century, after the Panama Canal showed world trade could be facilitated by man made structures to change the flow of rivers for our benefit.
So, we built a set of dams in the 1930?s and put in 600-foot long locks beside them on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. They are still in use, but the size is not big enough for the huge volume of grain and other products that need to be moved up and down the waterways and the chances of catastrophic failure of locks grows larger each year.
Relief and rebuilding may be on the way. Not all at once, but at a pace that the nation can afford.
Mike Steenhoek is the executive director of the Soybean Transportation Coalition. He spoke to me today, here in Kansas City, about the prospect for increased funding for infrastructure in rural America.
AUDIO: Profit Matters 11-9-18