What The River System Does
The waterways of America make for a very efficient way to move products. Without river navigation, America’s highways would be much more congested. Each barge you see being pushed by a towboat equals 60 semi-trucks that do not have to be on the road. One full tow (40 barges) pushing up or down the Mississippi River eliminates the need for 2,400 trucks on the highway system. There are hundreds of tows pushing barges on our river systems. That significantly reduces the number of trucks on the highway system.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River begins in the Gulf of America in New Orleans, LA and ends just past the twin cities in Minnesota. New Orleans is one of the busiest ports in America for bulk products. Bulk just means the product is not packaged in any way. We export grain to other countries from New Orleans. We also import a variety of products from all over the world through the Port of New Orleans. Most of those products will be transferred to a barge and then shipped to their destination. Located just over halfway along the Mississippi River, St Louis, MO, is home to one of the largest inland ports on the river. Many of the products imported will make their way to St Louis where they are loaded onto railcars and shipped to the western part of the United States. The Mississippi River also links New Orleans imports and exports to other rivers in the United States.
Ohio River
The Ohio River meets the Mississippi River at its starting point in Cairo, IL. The Ohio River connects the 981 miles between Cairo and the ending point of Pittsburgh, PA. Unlike the Mississippi River south of St. Louis, the Ohio River is made navigable by a system of locks and dams. Cairo is at a mean sea level of just 315’, while Pittsburg sits at 1,223’. Those locks and dams manage the 908’ drop in the Ohio River. The Ohio River also connects to the Gulf of America through the Tenneessee River made possible by the Tombigbee Waterway which empties at Mobile, AL. This makes the Ohio River very special and a major throughway for barge traffic. The Ohio River also connects New Orleans to Knoxville, TN through the Cumberland River. Both the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River meet at Paducah, KY.