The Maritime Administration (MARAD) will establish a new, dedicated Gateway office in Paducah, Kentucky, with an overarching goal of addressing transportation congestion relief and improving freight and passenger movement.
“The Paducah-McCracken County Riverport is a multi-modal center, with waterway, rail, and road connections, and with this level of maritime activity, it makes sense to place a Gateway office in Paducah,” Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao said. “This new Gateway Office will support Paducah’s important role as an inland waterway crossroads between the Tennessee, Ohio, Cumberland, and Mississippi rivers, as well as a major dry dock center.”
The effort allows MARAD to expand in the area around the Paducah hub, per officials, and enhance support to the Inland Marine Transportation System, its ports, service providers, and vessel operators.
The Paducah office will be located on the 500 block of Broadway St., the providing support to MARAD’s St. Louis Gateway Office for the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma while possessing an area of responsibility including all or portions of the following Kentucky-adjacent states: West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee.
The Paducah office will also provide support to MARAD’s St. Louis Gateway Office for the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“Enhancing MARAD’s impact nationwide is critical for the continued success of the maritime industry,” Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby said.