By Shawn Day
The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK
Officials Thursday showed off a barge that they say will carry cargo on a "marine highway" to Richmond, reducing traffic congestion and conserving energy.
It will be part of a national network of marine highways designed to shift cargo from roadways and onto designated waterways such as the James River, where there are "no stop lights, no traffic, no potholes," said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Thomas Barrett.
Barrett spoke alongside U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Norfolk, in front of the new barge, moored at the Elizabeth River Pavilion at Nauticus.
The plan is part of a federal effort to improve highway safety. Transporting the containers by barge is more than twice as fuel-efficient as rail, Barrett said.
The barge will carry the equivalent of 128 20-foot containers and make one trip per week to Richmond, starting next month, said David F. Host, president of the barge line. Officials hope the service progresses to twice weekly within the first year and that further demand will require a bigger barge, Host said.
The service is designed for cargo originating in, or destined for, the Richmond area. Although container-shipping fees are expected to eventually cover the cost of the barge line, it will initially be subsidized by state and federal funds.
Host said container traffic in the port of Hampton Roads is expected to triple over the next decade, from the equivalent of 2 million 20-foot containers to 6 million.
The James River Barge Line is projected to take close to 10,000 trucks off Interstate 64 in 2009, Host said.
The federal plan makes designated "marine highways" eligible for as much as $25 million in capital construction funds.
Communities around those waterways will still be able to apply for the $1.7 billion in federal funds set aside to reduce highway congestion and improve air quality.
Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com
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No Bridge Lifts Needed!
I just checked with the T. Parker Host company that will be operating the barge service and no bridge lifts will be required at the James River Bridge or the Benjamin Harrison Bridge.
Tugboats and the JRB
Last time I checked, they don't have to have bridge lifts for tugboats at the JRB. The bridge is high enough to let them pass safely under.
A bigger impact would be nice, but...
64 less trucks in exchange for two more bridge lifts per week sounds like a pretty fair trade to me, especially if they make an effort to avoid the JRB at rush hour.
JAMES RIVER BRIDGE
So they will take a small percentage of trucks off the interstate and create a traffic nightmare for those persons unsing the James River Bridge. They arent relieving anything, they are just shifting the problem some where else under the guise of something better. Hmmm sounds like our political leaders.
What ever happened to...
... the high-speed car ferry idea from about 20 years ago, the "Wild Thing" trimaran that was going to run up and down the bay?
For Hampton Roads?
Maybe they should try the same system for containers that need to go between the Peninsula and the Southside. Maybe even between the Maersk Terminal, PMT and NIT. That would cut down on the amount of traffic on Hampton Blvd. A few barges with a few tugboats verses all those trucks. It has to be a cheaper way to move containers with less impact on our roads. It's a great idea, now if it can just be implemented.
This could be a good idea.
I will have to see the numbers, the cost, and the time it will add to shipping, but this might be a good idea. One question? What powers the vessels that move the cargo on barges and how much fuel do they use when compared to using trucks for the same amount of cargo?