The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Nov. 1 held an
official dedication ceremony at the Port of Stockton for the M-580 barge
service, also known as the California Green Trade Corridor.
The Corridor is expected to help take freight traffic off
California’s congested I-580 by offering shippers an option to move cargo along
the waterways between the ports of Oakland, Stockton and Sacramento. The
project received a $30 million grant from the Department of Transportation, as
well as $5 million from local sources.
US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Acting Maritime
Administrator Paul Jaenichen and state and local leaders were on hand for the
dedication.
“This $30 million investment in public infrastructure is an
important part of President Obama’s national initiative to double America’s
exports by 2015,” Foxx said. “This Marine Highway will help get cargo off the
highways and onto our waterways, improving traffic on our roads while providing
an efficient, environmentally-friendly option within our freight system.”
The M-580 Marine Highway roughly parallels the I-580
corridor between California’s Central Valley and Oakland, one of the most
heavily congested highways in the country. It is estimated that about 1,600
containers currently move per day between the Stockton and Oakland ports along
I-580.
Running two barges per week between Oakland and Stockton is
expected to eliminate about 200 trucks per day from the highway. When the corridor
is fully operational, it’s expected that barges would make three round-trips along
the corridor weekly.
Officials estimate that eventually the M-580 could eliminate
180,000 truck trips from I-580, I-80, and I-205 freeways annually, saving about
seven million gallons of fuel and reducing air emissions in the process.
“The Green Trade Corridor is a win-win solution for Northern
California and the millions of Americans and businesses who rely on it to send
and receive goods,” Jaenichen said. “This new efficient and environmentally
friendly transportation alternative is also creating jobs in Stockton.”
The barge system, which had been in the planning for years,
was technically launched over the summer.
