Home | A Vision for a Globally Competitive America - Creating Strategies for the 21st Century (Continued)
A Vision for a Globally Competitive America
Creating Strategies for the 21st Century (Continued)
Figure 19. Ports by Value with Freight Movements
North American Freight Movement
A NAFTA corridor has been created along the industrial backbone of North America, extending south from Montreal and Toronto through the heartland of the U.S. to Monterey and Mexico City. (Figure 19.)
The port system extends from the ports of Halifax and Vancouver in the north to major U.S. ports such as Los Angeles and Long Beach, California and Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the ports of Lazaro Cardenas and Vera Cruz in the south.
During the 20th century, the U.S. transportation system was built to move manufactured and agricultural products from the Midwest through East and West coast ports to world markets. Over the last 30 years, U.S. manufacturing has been declining and moving offshore. Meanwhile, the amount of imported goods has risen dramatically. This has resulted in a reverse in the traditional flow pattern.
The reorganization of the U.S. and continental grid is being driven by the private sector in response to global economic demands with no public policy framework. There is no U.S. national policy, and no apparent coordination with Canada and Mexico, to guide its direction. This includes preparation for the widening of the Panama Canal.
Figure 20. Changing Northeast Freight Distribution Patterns
New Northeast Patterns Illustrate Changes Taking Place Nationwide
New Northeast patterns illustrate changes taking place nationwide. In the previous pattern, the Northeast Corridor linked the large Northeastern metros. The new transportation network may be grouped into hubs and corridors. The hub structure may be divided into global hubs serving international destinations, and NAFTA hubs (primarily rail and truck) serving continental markets. (Figure 20.)
Beginning in the mid-199 0’s, new transportation patterns emerged in the Northeast.
The global hubs are New York, Washington-Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston, and the NAFTA hubs are Harrisburg, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Albany, and Allentown-Bethlehem. The emergence of the NAFTA hubs has been a result of the economic integration of the continent, the breakup of Conrail into NS and CSX, and the introduction of e-commerce. Globalization has not only changed the national patterns of economic activity and trade flows, but also metropolitan and super-regional patterns of urbanization and transportation.
Photo of the Alton cable-stay bridge courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
