Page 10: of Marine News Magazine (May 2026)

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Insights

Inland Infrastructure

A New Approach to

Inland Waterways Modernization

By Tracy Zea, President/CEO, Waterways Council, Inc.

navigation modernization projects as a single, coordinated

As the national public policy program rather than as a series of individual projects man- organization that advocates for a modern, reliable, ef? cient aged by various Corps’ districts and divisions that annually inland waterways and ports system, Waterways Council, compete for funding and prioritization.

Inc. (WCI) continually seeks ways to improve the delivery The need for INCO is evidenced, in part, by the fact of inland waterways navigation projects managed by the that only three major inland navigation capital projects

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And while more than $6 have been completed in the last 28 years, while several oth- billion has been delivered over the past decade for construc- ers have experienced sharp cost overruns of hundreds of tion and major rehabilitation for the inland waterways, with millions of dollars (in one case 600% over budget) and

WCI securing $2.5 billion above the budget requests and $3 schedule delays extending decades beyond original esti- billion in supplemental funding since 2016, project delivery mates. The Olmsted Lock took 28 years to complete, and remains bottlenecked, delayed, and inef? cient. Decades of the Kentucky Lock addition is currently entering its 28th cost overruns and construction delays stem from structural year of construction. ? aws in project management rather than technical or ? nan- HDR’s study underscores the overall fragmentation in cial limitations. As a result, WCI is calling for a signi? cant the Corps’ project prioritization, design, and construction change in how the Corps delivers these inland projects. as a central cause of poor execution. Inland navigation

Among our recommendations for delivery improve- projects are spread across numerous river systems, states, ments (found in the WCI-commissioned HDR study and Corps’ districts and divisions, further making consis-

Recommendations for Improving the Delivery of Inland tent oversight dif? cult.

Waterway Capital Projects) is the creation of an Inland While the Corps is the Nation’s engineers and builders

Navigation Construction Organization (INCO). INCO with experience managing complex infrastructure programs, would reside within Corps Headquarters to manage inland inland navigation projects have been treated as standalone © Marine News | www.MarineLink.com 10 | MN May 2026