Post on 21-Jan-2016
The Missouri River Freight Corridor Development Project
Ernest B. Perry, Ph.D.
Missouri Department of Transportation, and
The Missouri River and Freight
Why ImportantBrief history of unique systemFreight historyMoving more freight
MissouriCentral Midwest – w/in 500 miles of most of the US population, economy and spending power.
Why a Focus on Freight and the Missouri? ??
STIP returnsPort investments70% of
Missouri’s economy w/in 30 minute drive of rivers
36% of all jobs and 24% of employers
Plus – global access and water compelled rates
Why Focus on Freight? - continued4th most diverse economySecond and Third largest rail hubsThird largest inland portKCI and China hub7th largest highway system, Freight Corridors – DTL, M55, M70, HSR
(Six Main Stem Reservoirs)
6 large dams allow flow
regulation of Missouri River
27 Locks and Dams create
“pooled reach” for navigation
In drought, the Missouri River
provides up to 2/3 of the flow through the “bottleneck reach”
Kansas City
St Louis
New Orleans
Minneapolis-St Paul
“open river reach”
“Bottleneck reach”
Ohio River
Ohio River
Missouri R
iverM
issouri River
Mis
siss
ippi
Riv
erM
issi
ssip
pi R
iver
Cairo
Diagram of Mississippi River Flow During DroughtDiagram of Mississippi River Flow During Drought
Missouri River Total Navigation Tonnage
Million Tons
Peak Total Tonnage 2001 - 9.73 Million Tons
Missouri River Freight Corridor Development Project
Navigator’s meeting in early 2009December 2009 at Rocheport, MOOne of three R&D projects – this is the
“Development”
Over 200 stakeholders that included shippers, agribusiness, developers, communities, trucking, ports and all levels of political interest.
Agency ParticipationoMissouri Departments of: Natural Resources, Agriculture, Economic Development, Transportation.
oFederal Agencies: USACE, USCG, MARAD, FHWA
Supported by:Missouri Department of TransportationHanson Professional Services
What the Industry says - Reliability/use-ability“Boutique” riverCritical mass is goneMarkets can drive
thisNeed Greater
Awareness“The Missouri has
never been an easy river”
8 years of drought 23 + years of political instability
OrLong Haul commercial up over 20%A Renaissance on the River
Growth? - Concepts of Operation?
Market Development
Equipment and Infrastructure
River Management and Policy
Advocacy
Actively Develop MarketsTraditional Approaches Other Options
New (and Old) Ways of doing Business
• Marine Highways• New markets and
services• Coops• Corn Days• Industry focus,
business supported
Infrastructure and Equipment Inventory
Potential Development Locations
Waterways….Our best kept secret
Advocacy RolesProgrammaticRegulatoryMarketingIndustryCommunity
level
With adequate water in 2010, commercial long haul freight shipped on the Missouri River increased 24% in just one season.
Bird’s Point area
Summer 2011, NE District, MoDOT
What can we do? A Vision for Waterways, Freight and the Economy?
• A national strategy• A regional and
local strategy• Multimodal• Funded
Season Opener March 2010
The work continues, plans are in place for Spring 2012.
How can we support this industry, these jobs?
Thank You!
Ernie Perry, Ph.D.ebperry3@gmail.com
Missouri Department of Transportationhttp://www.modot.mo.gov/othertransportation/freight/index.htm