Mississippi River lock-and-dam system is outdated and in disrepair. What if it fails?

Noted: If the upper Mississippi River had to shut down for one season because of lock and dam failures, the amount of agricultural goods displaced would equal between 367,000 and 489,000 loads by truck, according to a 2017 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the Mid-America Freight Coalition. It could cost up to $283 million to move those loads by truck, and upwards of $300 million if road damage is taken into account, the report said. And those estimates — the most recent available — were from six years ago. Today, according to the Consumer Price Index, the cost likely would be above $350 million.