State waterways, Tenn-Tom increasing keys to Midwest transport

MONTGOMERY - Water transport planners eye the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway as a potential water highway between the nation's midsection and the Gulf of Mexico.

An engineer with W.R. Coles in Nashville told members of the Coalition of Alabama Waterway Associations on Wednesday that the waterway "is critically positioned" as a key transport source for containers traveling through the Port of Mobile.

A new container port at the Port of Mobile and increasingly crowded ports on the country's east and west coasts make Alabama's new facilities even more attractive, said Ron Coles, of W.R. Coles and Associates.

Ports at the Shoals, Decatur and Huntsville and companies near the ports also understand the possibility of increased waterway shipping as well, he said.

The coalition commissioned Coles and his company to do an Alabama Freight Mobility Study to show how to increase freight transport on waterways.

He said government incentives, primarily federal incentives, could help lure companies to ship the containers by barge. In turn, increased use of river and water transportation would provide benefits for the public as well as businesses using the waterway, he said.

Coles said with more traffic moving by barge, governments would save costs in reduced traffic congestion and need for maintenance and repairs on highways.

"Public policy can provide incentives for barge shipping that result in benefits for the public," he said.

Most funding for waterways comes through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers budget that often has little money for waterway traffic projects, Coles said.

"No matter whether there is a Republican or Democrat in the White House, the Corps' budget for waterways will be slim," he said.

He told coalition members from across the state to join organizations that have influence on federal budgets.

Cole added the country's increasing interest in "green" technology and being economical also help.

Water transportation is also "green," something that appeals to consumers and the increasing number of companies that want to tout their emphasis on the environment, he said, adding that water transport is cheaper, too.

"More and more, they tell us they like being able to say they are a 'green' company in their advertising," Coles said.

Coles said more companies say they are interested in barge transport now because of higher fuel costs and other current economic factors. "It is much cheaper to transport by water," he said.

Challenges come as companies adjust their shipping schedules to accommodate slower river transport delivery. But Trey Fredrickson, whose H.G. Fredrickson and Co. business coordinates shipping transportation logistics, said economic conditions cause more shippers to look again at waterway shipping.

"They now say they are willing to adjust," he said.