US Marine Highways to Help Prepare for the Future
With America's population expected to grow by 70 million over the next 30 years, moving the goods that enrich our lives --and the freight that fuels our economy-- will be a key challenge. As our Beyond Traffic draft framework indicates, by 2045, the volume of goods on our roads, rail, air, and water will increase 45 percent or more. Because tomorrow's looming increase will pose a significant burden on our transportation system, we must prepare to handle that freight now by developing and investing in solutions today. The good news is that DOT is working to do just that. Our Nation’s navigable waterways offer us a terrific, underused resource, and the Maritime Administration’s Marine Highway Program works to incorporate that excess capacity into the U.S.
US Designates Three Marine Highway Projects
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has designated three new Marine Highway Projects. The Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, previously designated as the M-55 and M-35, connecting Chicago and Minneapolis to New Orleans, will serve as the primary routes for a new container-on-barge service being developed by communities along the rivers. The M-495 Potomac River Commuter Ferry Project will connect work and residential centers located along the Potomac, Occoquan and Anacostia Rivers…
DOT's Foxx Names Two Marine Highways
Secretary Foxx Designates Two New Marine Highways. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has designated two new Marine Highways. The Occoquan, Potomac, and Anacostia Rivers make up the “M-495 Marine Highway Crossing,” and is sponsored by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and This marine highway connects ports in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Maryland for passenger services. The upper Missouri River is designated as the “M-29 Marine Highway Connector,” and is sponsored by the Port Authority of Kansas City, Missouri.
A New Generation of Fireboats
A new generation of fireboat hit the water this June. The NFPA Class 'C' 37-knot speedster exhibited speed, maneuverability and control. She had high pumping capacity and the ability to recover more injured survivors at one time than boats twice her size. This original design by MetalCraft Marine's Tom Wroe, had its concept drawing sketched on a napkin late at night after a long business dinner, where members of the Occoquan, Lorton, Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department (OWLFD) added valuable operational input to the designer's pen. The procurement committee of OWLFD had spent two years educating themselves about what was available in the marketplace, including hull designs, propulsion alternatives, pumping systems and known sea rescue techniques.
