U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the U.S. Marine Highway Program would add two new Marine Highway routes during a visit to Alaska Wednesday.
In Alaska, M-11, a route covering more than 6,500 miles will be added to the Marine Highway system, while the M-79 route in Pennsylvania and West Virginia will extend the reach of the Ohio River system by nearly 250 miles. The new routes will help speed the movement of goods, Buttigieg said, while strengthening supply chains and supporting local economies.
“America’s marine highways are vital links in our supply chains, helping to move goods quickly, cleanly, and efficiently,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “By expanding our marine highway system, we can strengthen our supply chains, improve port operations, and help keep goods affordable for American families.”
M-11, sponsored by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public facilities, will include coastal and river ports in southwestern and northern Alaska from the Aleutian Islands to the Canadian border. The waterways of the Bering Sea, Bristol Bay, the Artic Ocean and the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta have been transportation routes for centuries, the US DOT said. Adding the route to the Marine Highway system will enhance transportation in communities along the route and provide a greater range of waterborne transportation choices.
In Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the M-79 Marine Highway route adds the easternmost tributary rivers to extend the reach of the Ohio River system. The route, co-sponsored by the Port of Pittsburgh and the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization, will be an incentive for increased operations, infrastructure investments and freight movement for local business interests in the region.
“Our nation’s marine highway routes are navigable waterways capable of moving significant quantities of freight at lower costs than other means of transportation,” said Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips. “Since its inception in 2010, the MHP has designated 31 marine highway routes.”