# Choke Point of a Nation: The High Cost of an Aging River Lock - The New York Times

> Lock No. 52 on the Mississippi River in southern Illinois is described as the busiest spot on the US inland waterways, with aging infrastructure. Coal, fuel and other goods worth over $22 billion move through it each year.

- Date: 2016-11-23 · published 2016-11-23T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/74008-choke-point-of-a-nation-the-high-cost-of-an-aging-river-lock-the-new-york-times
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Aging lock capacity risks delays for barge shipments of corn, soybeans and other grains, which can widen Gulf basis and raise barge freight costs.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2019-04-01 | [Northern Rivers Come out of Hibernation With a Vengeance](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59486-northern-rivers-come-out-of-hibernation-with-a-vengeance.md) | +0.2% | -2.9% |
| CORN | 2020-06-15 | [Five Lock and Dam Closures on Illinois River Looming](https://feedsoft.ai/events/52501-five-lock-and-dam-closures-on-illinois-river-looming.md) | +0.4% | +0.1% |
| CORN | 2023-05-19 | [Updates to locks and dams begin on Upper Mississippi River - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/36108-updates-to-locks-and-dams-begin-on-upper-mississippi-river-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +6.7% | +4.4% |
| CORN | 2018-05-14 | [High Water Temporarily Closes Two Mississippi River Locks](https://feedsoft.ai/events/64902-high-water-temporarily-closes-two-mississippi-river-locks.md) | +1.7% | -1.8% |
| CORN | 2022-06-23 | [Army Corps share early construction timeline of Lock and Dam 25 expansion \| National \| farmweeknow.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16703-army-corps-share-early-construction-timeline-of-lock-and-dam-25-expansion.md) | +1.6% | -10.7% |
| SOY | 2019-04-01 | [Northern Rivers Come out of Hibernation With a Vengeance](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59486-northern-rivers-come-out-of-hibernation-with-a-vengeance.md) | +1.7% | -4.2% |
| SOY | 2020-06-15 | [Five Lock and Dam Closures on Illinois River Looming](https://feedsoft.ai/events/52501-five-lock-and-dam-closures-on-illinois-river-looming.md) | +0.6% | +0.6% |
| SOY | 2023-05-19 | [Updates to locks and dams begin on Upper Mississippi River - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/36108-updates-to-locks-and-dams-begin-on-upper-mississippi-river-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -0.7% | +10.0% |

## Sources

- nytimes.com: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/business/economy/desperately-plugging-holes-in-an-87-year-old-dam.html

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.