Little Rock Port Authority Executive Director Bryan Day penned an Op/Ed in the April 28th edition of MarineLink.
Mr. Day’s Op/Ed is titled:
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Should Include Inland Waterways (“Op/Ed”)
The Op/Ed notes the developing plans by the White House and in Congress to implement a major infrastructure spending plan.
Mr. Day cites both a 2015 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness report and American Society of Civil Engineers analysis indicating the United States has significant deficiencies in a number of infrastructure areas such as:
- Roads
- Railroads
- Ports
- Airports
- Utilities
- Bridges
- Locks and dams
The Op/Ed argues that it is critical that in addressing infrastructure the needs of inland waterways and ports be considered. Mr. Day notes:
Every year, our marine transportation system moves more than 550 million tons of freight valued at close to $200 billion and supports in excess of 10 million jobs. This marine transportation system reduces highway congestion by 51 million truck trips every year. Our marine transportation system is in dire need of preventative maintenance and capital upgrades. Without capital investment, this system will continue to struggle and the impact will be significant. The Arkansas River, America’s newest inland waterway, is more than 50 years old. It currently needs major investment to retain its reliability to meet the needs of those businesses and individuals that use it on a daily basis.
The Little Rock, Arkansas Port is cited as an example of such facilities’ importance from an economic standpoint. Mr. Day notes:
In 1958 the citizens of Little Rock, Ark. voted to create the Little Port Authority. Today, the industrial park has grown to house more than 40 companies which employ more than 3,500 people from central Arkansas. These employees and their companies have contributed more than $5.1 billion to the local economy in the past 10 years. The Port of Little Rock operates a slack water harbor on the Arkansas River as well as shortline railroad that connects businesses to both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroads.
Byran Day was formerly the City of Little Rock Assistant City Manager and prior to that served as Parks and Recreation Director.
A link to Mr. Day’s article can be downloaded here.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/infrastructure-waterways424661#.WQM-Rpn718g.mailto
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