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“The barges can’t get through there, they’ll just tear their bottoms right out,” explained Chicago tugboat owner John Kindra.

Local ports could run into problems if Great Lakes water levels don't increase. The lake is 28 inches below the long term average – and still falling.

After months of drought, the nation's main inland waterway could become impassable to barges.

In Pakistan, shipping is big business. New paved highways offer a fast track to the north and Afghanistan. Goods arrive at the port of Karachi and travel as far as U.S. troops based in Afghanistan or newly rich Central-Asian republics farther north.

The gravel in your driveway, the steel in your car, and the coal that produced electricity for your home may well have spent time on a Great Lakes freighter on its way to you.

Brian Mann with North Country Public Radio is traveling along the St. Lawrence Seaway as part of the Front and Center series. Monday, he talked about the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway back in 1959. He checked in from his journey, discussing shipping along that route.