Mounting economic pressures are leading shippers to demand increased efficiency in a world where speed is the currency of the day.
While the U.S. copes with aging infrastructure, lack of capacity growth and no cohesive planning for improvement, our foreign competitors are modernizing at light speed.
To protect U.S. competitiveness in the global arena, revitalized transportation infrastructure needs to become a national priority. Congress and the administration must develop a national strategy supporting ports and freight movement.
Infrastructure investment should increase capacity for containerized trade across several fronts. The U.S. East Coast needs deeper harbors and higher bridges to accommodate today’s larger vessels. Landside scale is also very important. Terminals need the equipment, technology and space to accommodate the influx of cargo delivered by super-post-Panamax freighters.
Additionally, road and rail improvements are necessary to ensure the free flow of cargo beyond terminal gates. The nation cannot maximize port efficiency if the arteries carrying goods to and from interior markets are clogged by congestion.
Significant investments are required now to improve the reliability and velocity of service in the U.S. logistics sector. This is especially true considering the Panama Canal expansion is progressing toward completion.
Passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act — with its provisions to refocus revenue from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund on their intended purpose — was a step in the right direction.
Infrastructure investment, which will bring construction jobs now and reduced transit costs in the future, is one area of accord that can produce lasting benefit to the nation.
We must start now to devise a plan for the smart investments necessary to expedite truck traffic, ensure sufficient rail capacity and enable our ports to move U.S.-made goods to market more efficiently.
Curtis J. Foltz, Executive Director, Georgia Ports Authority