by Jim Berlin // CEO of Logistics Plus Inc.
Just got back from Toronto with some of our LP leadership team from the 3rd Highway H20 conference.
Highway H20 is a wonderful “back to the future” effort to alleviate the growing congestion/backlog in our ocean port cities, on our highways, bridges and rails, and to utilize a largely underutilized resource (the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway) to move containers in a more environmentally-friendly manner.
This would not only take trucks off of our highways, spew less gas into the environment and save fuel, but it would create jobs and viability by making the inland port cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, Duluth more active once again.
Containers–or “cans”–basically the trailer part of a tractor-trailer that can be put into a ship and moved across the world–are the new way the world moves. ANYTHING that fits into a truck for export TO ANYWHERE overseas, or FROM ANYWHERE, goes into one of these containers. Next time you’re driving on I-90 or I-79, take a look. You’ll see them.
Highway H20 would use the Great Lakes System to bring some of these (there are over 500,000 a year coming into Halifax alone!) by water DIRECTLY to the population centers that comprise the old industrial heartland of America. A simple, practical idea whose time has come.
Logistics Plus looks forward to helping make this concept a reality starting in 2008!
Exciting stuff.
More to come.
Stay tuned
JB
I am founder and CEO of Logistics Plus Inc. A driving force behind the rehabilitation of Erie’s historic Union Station, Logistics Plus Inc. has spawned a wave of development in Erie’s center city. I will be blogging primarily about the progress and development in and around Union Station.
James A
November 9th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Hey Jim, glad to hear the conference went well! Was there any mention of container inspection during the conference? I know it’s a hot topic among some of the national security folks here in DC, and I’m just curious if it was addressed at all.
Jim Berlin
November 9th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
James,
Yes. This can be done at the outboard ports, and with the new technology each container can be scanned before being loaded inland.
The better part of this re: homeland security, if you think about it–is that now you’ll have 200-300 containers to clear, but no truckdrivers, since they will be coming by water.
Today, US-bound loads that get offloaded in Vancouver, Montreal or Halifax heading towards Erie, come via rail to Toronto and then via truck to Erie. This way, it would come by water all the way here. By having CONTAINERS come here, rather than trucks hauling containers driving here, you eliminate the need to check the identities of those 200-300 truckers, since there are no trucks.
A BIG boon to easing the strain on border security!
Just another reason that Highway H20 is an idea whose time has come.
Thanks,
JB
Jim Russell
November 9th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
If this initiative succeeds, how does it impact Halifax?
Chuck
November 10th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Yes the H2O highway sounds great and could help out Erie, PA economy but there is also a cost involved.
The cost is a natural resource, native species of fish, pollution and contamination of the waters by ships coming in to Lake Erie and other great lakes.
So of the unwanted stowaways that comes in on the bottom and in the ballasts on the ships.
We have Zebra Mussels, Gobies and several other bacteria’s and contaminates that have not only affected Lake Erie, but then the birds carry them to Lake LeBouef in Waterford, Edinboro Lake, Union City Reservoir and several others in the surrounding areas.
My question is; is there something they can do to prevent these types of problems in the future?
We already know what the down falls and are the gains worth the loss?
Jim Berlin
November 10th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Jim,
The impact at Halifax is that there would be another option to move the containers inland. Right now–there are 2: rail and road.
This would give them a third–water–to help alleviate the congestion.
JB
Chuck,
This ship would ply the Great Lakes only, so not an issue bringing contaminants into the system.
Also, there is a downside to any economic activity. Our nation has grown accustomed to 45,000 highway deaths a year–don’t even bat an eye at that.
I’m afraid there are ALWAYS tradeoffs.
In this case, I believe the good far outweighs any potential negatives.
Thanks,
JB
Chuck
November 11th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
JB, no one has grown accustomed to 45,000 deaths and not all are related to the shipping of freight.
Yes there are tradeoffs, but if you know what the impact would be in advance and you still do it because it only affects others and you make a profit from it I hope you sleep well!
Now, you say the ships will not be leaving the Great Lake and I am happy for that and I wish you all the best.
Jackie Mac
November 12th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Chuck seems to imply (and in the case of the H2O system, without evidence)that change is immoral if it affects some people adversely while profiting others. Is there any other kind of change? Is this attitude (that I attribute to Chuck) good for Erie?
Chuck
November 12th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I form an opinion by why is placed in front of me!