Infrastructure of America's Inland Waterways

Book excerpt: Rivers have tumbled down mountains and floated lazily through flat plains in the US since long before Europeans first came to this continent. They were the only highways Native Americans used or needed. Even America’s first settlers found it much easier to travel on the waterways than to build roads through the forests. Today our inland waterways carry millions of tons of cargo each year. But our waterways have not received the attention needed to continue their important role in the commerce of our country. Waterways infrastructure such as locks, dams, channels, and levees need help. Many elements are old and need repair or replacement. Expanded infrastructure would allow the US to increase shipping on the waterways. Shipping via water has always been cheaper than shipping by land and remains so today. The US economy can only benefit from investment in our inland waterways.