The new federal budget bill has funding to upgrade locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. 

The 76 million dollars comes from an increased diesel fuel tax and federal matching funds.

The nine-cent tax increase is the first in almost 20 years and will be paid by barge operators. It will rise to 29 cents per gallon.

Locks at Keokuk, Canton, Quincy, Saverton, Clarksville and Winfield on the Mississippi and La Grange on the Illinois would be among almost 250 sites nationwide where upgrades would be made.

The Army Corps of Engineers says many locks are not long enough to accommodate today’s larger barges and that 60 percent of the facilities have outlived their 50-year design.

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