DOT Turns Underused Waterways Into Marine Highways

[n2doc]

By Keith Barry July 23, 2010

A new priority of the US Department of Transportation is an age-old idea: transport freight by ship for as long as possible. The DOT is proposing designated shipping channels known as Marine Highways, and one may be leading to a port near you.

If you’ve purchased any household goods in the US recently, they probably took a familiar path from the factory to the store where you bought them: to North America on a massive cargo ship, from the ship to a railway, and finally from the rail yard to your local retailer by truck. In many cases, freight is carried solely by truck along interstate highways.

Unfortunately, such a system is far from efficient. It clogs our highways with multiple trucks headed in the same direction and brings pollution into our cities near freight terminals.

That’s why the Maritime Administration (MARAD) has proposed a system of Marine Highways where ships would transit goods within the United States. Along designated corridors, ships could provide safe, environmentally friendly and reasonably quick freight transit among a network of well-situated ports.



Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/07/dot-turns-underused-waterways-into-marine-highways/

[Bonhomme Richard]

1. I can see it right now. Step #1...bust the port unions. n/t

[TheWraith]

2. Non sequitur much? nt

[Greyskye]

3. Huh?

Ships are going to be offloaded at some point. I'm sure that this will be done by unionized dock workers. :crazy: