Gateway Presence
The Maritime Administration provides critical marine transportation outreach activities at our major U.S. gateway ports, starting with 10 of the largest ports on the West, East, and Gulf Coasts, the Great Lakes and the inland river system. Offices are planned or already located in these critical areas. Replicating the model of the Agency's Gateway Office in Southern California, these offices work with headquarters staff, state and local authorities, congressional representatives at the local district, and a broad range of port, shipper and carrier stakeholders to cooperate on projects, identify Federal and state funding, and work on environmental and community challenges in the ports and their intermodal connections.
These offices identify transportation bottlenecks and ways to improve freight movement. They work with stakeholders to promote collaboration among Federal, state, local and private partners on challenges facing the Marine Transportation System in their areas of responsibility, focusing particularly on planning and environmental issues. These offices act as liaisons for the Agency to help ensure that measurable progress is made on specific projects as well as to bring Agency and Departmental expertise to the table.
The potential for these offices has been clearly demonstrated in the Maritime Administration's first Gateway Office in Southern California. That office has worked with public and private sector participants to better understand the connection between improved cargo flow, economic vitality, community improvement and environmental sustainability. The effort has led to an interagency agreement to specifically address congestion in and around our nation’s busiest port area.
The Gateway Offices are the Agency's day-to-day presence throughout the Marine Transportation System. They are critical to the viability and effectiveness of the Maritime Administration and its future programs. The Gateway Offices support and place particular emphasis on the following Maritime Administration priorities: Congressional Outreach Initiatives; America’s Marine Highway Initiative; Port Infrastructure Development, including project support (i.e., projects similar to those in Alaska and Hawaii) and overcoming impediments at intermodal nodes, including rail, barge, road and air connectors; Development of Deepwater Ports; Shipper and Carrier Outreach (including linkages to Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council (MTSNAC) and the Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS); Support to the Passenger and Cruise Industry (including Ferries); Workforce Development (promoting opportunities for American employment); Emergency Preparedness and Response Activities; and Supports Port Security Grants Program.
