00600796

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...trr/1990/1263/1263-009.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...rier&publication_year=1990

Two modern canals that have been especially important to waterborne commerce of the United States are the Panama Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Panama Canal, opened in 1914, connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans via the narrow isthmus of Panama, saving thousands of miles of travel around South America. The St. Lawrence Seaway, opened in 1959, connects the inland Great Lakes of the United States and Canada with the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence River. Both of these waterways are considered vital arteries of commerce for U.S. foreign trade. But today, evolving shipping technologies on both land and sea and changes in world trade patterns raise questions about the long-term role of both waterways. The limiting lock dimensions of the two canals are becoming an increasingly important factor in the role each waterway plays in world trade. The rapid increase in the trend toward larger vessels, the opening of a trans-isthmus pipeline, and the use of double-stack container trains has siphoned off high-value traffic. It appears that as the average vessel size in the world fleet continues to grow, the percentage of the fleet able to transit each waterway will continue to decline. Enlarging either system to handle larger ships would be a very expensive undertaking and would also raise a host of environmental issues, so ultimately both waterways seem likely to play a diminished role in world trade.

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1263, Ports, Waterways, Rail, and International Trade Issues 1990. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

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p. 83-100

1990

Transportation Research Record

0309050197

Figures (30) ; References (25) ; Tables (1)

Competition; Container cars; Doublestack service; Impacts; International trade; Pipelines; Railroad cars by type; Ships; Size; Technology; Trade

Panama Canal

Change; Double stack container cars

Saint Lawrence Seaway; United States

Economics; Highways; Marine Transportation; Pipelines; Society; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment

TRIS, TRB

Oct 31 1990 12:00AM

• APPLICATION OF SHIP-HANDLING SIMULATIONS IN THE EVALUATION OF CHANNELS FOR TWO-WAY TRAFFIC
• HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER FERRY SERVICE: A CASE STUDY
• HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION MODE AND ONTARIO'S TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES, 1977-1987
• LIQUID CARGO MOVEMENTS AND INCIDENTS ON THE MINNESOTA PORTION OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER
• MODELING WATERBORNE PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION USER CHARACTERISTICS
• SHIP IMPACT RISK ANALYSIS OF THE TAPPAN ZEE AND CASTLETON-ON-HUDSON BRIDGES, HUDSON RIVER
• SUPPLEMENTAL FREIGHT ON FERRIES: CASE STUDY OF OPERATIONS AND COST COMPARISONS
• TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS OF THE U.S.-CANADA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
• USE OF ADVANCED TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS IN SCHEDULING AND OPERATING RAILROADS: MODELS, ALGORITHMS, AND APPLICATIONS