CFIRE Funding Highway MAFC Maritime Research

MAFC Releases Report Looking at the Impact of Upper Mississippi River Lock and Dam Shutdowns on State Highway Infrastructure

Mid-America Freight Coalition 

The Mid-America Freight Coalition (MAFC) has released a report on the impact lock and dam closures along the Upper Mississippi River would have on the parallel highways based on the increased truck numbers required to move displaced agricultural products.

The Mississippi River is a critical corridor for transportation of agricultural products and, in turn, is critical to the economies of the states that utilize the river to transport these trade goods. Five of the MAFC region’s states are dependent on the Upper Mississippi River to move the majority of their agricultural products.

Movement through the Upper Mississippi is facilitated through locks and dams, all of which were constructed between the 1930’s and late 1950’s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) estimates that there are over $1 billion in backlogged maintenance costs for these structures. Given the age and maintenance backlog, a failure at any of these facilities, especially the southernmost, would divert agricultural products to truck or rail.

The report assesses the total impact of such closures and then demonstrates how the cost the closures, or improvements designed to mitigate their impact on the highway side, compare with the cost of improving Upper Mississippi River control structures.

Download the Report.

Recommended Posts

Maritime News

The Costs at the Canal!

The Panama Canal expansion was anticipated to induce changes in ports of call on the US Coasts. While the findings are still out of the consequences of the expansion on world and Midwest logistics, one thing that has changed is the price to transit the canal. Prior to the expansion of the canal the record transit cost […]

 
Highway News Outreach Research

Public Perception and Fuel Taxes

As transportation professionals, do you feel we see the transportation system a bit differently than the average person? Check out this report by the Mineta Institute on public perceptions of federal transportation funding, and a host of other topics. Please see the link below for more. https://transweb.sjsu.edu/research/2303-Transportation-Federal-Tax-Year14-Survey

 
Freight Notes Rail Regional Freight Plan Research

Hazardous Materials and Rural Freight Corridors

The movement of hazardous goods on rail and highways multiplies the potential consequences of any crash. Critical rail and highway corridors transect rural areas and crashes can result in impacts to low income or minority communities, natural resources, and the many smaller towns. Additionally in rural areas, emergency resources are less likely to be available, or […]