Historically, coastal and inland shipping was the earliest means of moving relatively large amounts of goods among population centers. The latter was reliable and safe when land road networks did not exist or were primitive. The relative ease of moving cargo by water routes also encouraged the development of populated settlements near water. Nations grew around their ports, where domestic waterborne commerce intersected with blue-water shipping activities.
Over time, the development of more extensive road systems, railroads, and reliable powered trucks began to replace waterborne carriage. In the United States these developments from the mid-19th century onward offered cost savings and flexibility that some short-haul shipping routes could not.
Fast forward to 1956, when a major event was the creation of the Interstate Highway Program by the Eisenhower administration. It was the largest public-works program in our history and cost $114 billion. Taking 35 years to complete, this became our current national highway grid. It permitted trucking services to move massive amounts of goods among population centers efficiently and at lowest possible cost. Today, trucks move more than 66 percent of our domestic freight tonnage.
From the 1960s onward, this growing highway system served our major seaports with a reliable means to move great volumes of cargo inland. This came at the expense of our marine highways. By 2010 only 3 percent of U.S. domestic goods shipments were via ships and barges.
Even as the national highway system was being completed, it was clear it would have to be expanded. Fast economic growth and new transportation technologies overwhelmed the highways’ infrastructure. Furthermore, funds provided for maintenance and repair programs were insufficient to arrest degradation. For example, nationally 12 percent of U.S. highway bridges are considered marginally safe. They are the weakest links in the interstate highways “chain.” By deferring maintenance, repair, and replacement, the nation is “eating its seed corn.” To restore and add to the interstate highway system will require investments of hundreds of billions dollars and decades of time.
To help remedy the failing on-land infrastructure, the Department of Transportation in 2007 initiated the America Marine Highway Program to develop and expand short sea shipping capabilities in coastal waters, riverine areas, and the Great Lakes. A series of 18 marine highways has been mapped so that most parallel existing interstate highways. The idea is for the short sea shipping to bypass the most congested parts of those on-land highways.
The economies of shipping by water are impressive. Marine highway vessels can move a ton of cargo about eight times cheaper than trucks and for half as much as railroads.
Much work remains to be done to build an efficient marine highway system for the United States. Considerable infrastructure work will be needed in existing seaports to facilitate direction in cargo movement to the roll on, roll off (RO-RO) system. This is where loaded trucks are driven on board the short-haul ship or barge. At the destination port they can reconnect with the highway system with minimal port infrastructure required.
The smaller coastal seaports must be upgraded or created where needed. The costs of this new infrastructure work will be but a small fraction of what is needed for our land highways, railroads, and airports.
There also is a national-security aspect to reviving our nation’s marine highways. In times of national emergency there will be additional U.S.-flag “bottoms” available to carry military sealift. Also there will be available an added workforce of trained mariners employed by short-haul companies. And U.S. shipyards that build and maintain the ships and barges provide increased national capabilities to meet military needs.
Once established, the U.S. Marine Highway will be an important factor to assist moving commerce efficiently and economically. While it will not replace on-land transport systems, it will help relieve land highways as the long-term national rebuilding effort is undertaken. A lot of selling will be needed to line up the favorable financial and regulatory climate to make these “highways” a reality. This means cooperation and partnerships among all levels of government as well as enlightened private investors.