DOT 149-08
Contact: Brian Turmail, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Thursday, October 9, 2008
U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Announces New Nationwide Plan to Reduce
Traffic on Congested Roadways by Creating New Marine Highways
NORFOLK, VA – The federal government will establish a new national network of
marine highways to help move cargo across the country in order to cut congestion
on some of the nation’s busiest highways, announced U.S. Deputy Secretary of
Transportation Thomas Barrett today.
The Department’s “Marine Highways” initiative calls for the selection and
designation of key maritime inland and coastal maritime corridors as marine
highways, the Admiral said. These routes will be eligible for up to $25 million
in existing federal capital construction funds, he noted, and ensures that these
communities will continue to qualify for up to $1.7 billion in federal highway
congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) funds.
“This initiative does more than simply add new lines to a map,” said Deputy
Secretary Barrett. “It makes our roads safer, expands our capacity for moving
goods and reflects the kind of 21st century innovation we are going to need to
be competitive in today’s global marketplace.”
The Deputy Secretary noted that the initiative makes it easier for companies to
take advantage of the new maritime routes by providing businesses with
assistance in locating shippers willing to move goods by water.
“These highways have no stoplights, traffic or potholes,” said Deputy Secretary
Barrett. “Sometimes transportation solutions require new concrete, but other
times the answer is as simple as using existing water.”
Admiral Barrett announced the new initiative, which is outlined in an interim
final rule, during a visit to the Norfolk, Va., based James River Barge Line.
The new service plans to move cargo up the James River to Richmond, shifting
more than 4,000 trucks-worth of cargo off nearby I-64 and onto the waterway.
Deputy Secretary Barrett said the interim final rule is available for review at
AMH_reg_100908.pdf and would go
into effect after a 120-day comment period.
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