ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released its 2025 Mississippi River navigation stats for locks and dams today, Jan. 22, from Minneapolis to Lock and Dam 10, in Guttenberg, Iowa.
The total tonnage at Lock and Dam 10, the district’s southernmost lock, was 10,569,952 million tons – a slight decrease of 325,903 tons compared to the 2024 navigation season.
While the tonnage shipped is nearly 3.2 million tons below the 10-year average at the lock, the volume highlights the river's role as a primary conduit for transporting bulk commodities, which is essential for the region's economy. The tonnage, according to the Corps of Engineers’ Lock Performance Monitoring System, includes 5.12 million tons of agricultural products such as corn and soybeans and 2.48 million tons of fertilizer.
Mitch Serjogins, St. Paul District acting locks and dams chief, said shipping on the river is still the most affordable, safest and energy efficient way to move bulk commodities such as corn and soybeans to the market. “Mississippi River navigation traffic historically ebbs and flows much like the river itself and is based on a variety of factors such as market conditions and weather,” said Serjogins. “The importance of the channel remains the constant variable. As much as 60% of all U.S. grain exports are shipped on the river. The river is truly the lifeblood to global food supply chain.”
Serjogins added that the Mississippi River is our nation's 'silent' superhighway and Corps of Engineers staff are always focused on safety. “We work 24/7 to keep commodities moving,” he said. “In fact, we completed 15,353 commercial lockages this year without an injury.” In addition to the commercial traffic, the St. Paul District had an additional 13,435 recreation boat lockages. This is 1,320 more lockages than staff supported in 2024.
The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy. The industries using the navigation channel these save approximately $321 million by using the inland waterways instead of overland shipping methods such as railway.
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