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

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issi

ssip

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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