Inland Marine Transportation System Fluidity: Case Studies from the Ohio River, Lower Mississippi River, and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Abstract
Freight fluidity, defined here as travel time reliability or consistency, has important implications for many sectors of the national economy. Due to limited information, waterway fluidity has historically been difficult to measure. However, with time-stamped and geo-referenced vessel position reports now available through the U.S. Coast Guard Nationwide Automatic Identification System archives, it is possible to conduct detailed examinations of fluidity along most portions of the U.S. inland waterway system. This report presents case studies of waterway fluidity and seasonal trends for three heavily trafficked segments of the inland waterway system: the Upper Ohio River from the Port of Pittsburgh to the Ports of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky (above the metropolitan Cincinnati, OH area), the Lower Mississippi River Main Stem from the Port of Metropolitan St. Louis to the Port of South Louisiana near New Orleans, LA, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from the Port of Houston, TX, to the Port of South Louisiana near New Orleans, LA.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 20, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1085137
Entities
People
- Kenneth N. Mitchell
- Marin M. Kress
- Matthew Chambers
- Patricia K. Dijoseph
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center
- United States Department of Transportation