393.3—Marine Highway Corridors.
(a) Summary.
The purpose of this section is to designate specific routes as Marine Highway Corridors (including Connectors and Crossings). Corridors will be designated by the Secretary. The goal of this designation process is to accelerate the development of multi-State and multi-jurisdictional Marine Highway Corridors to relieve landside congestion. Designation will encourage public/private partnerships, and help focus investment on those Marine Highway Corridors that offer the maximum potential public benefit in congestion-related emissions reduction, energy efficiency, safety and other areas. Corridors already designated as “Corridors of the Future” under DOT's National Strategy to Reduce Congestion that have commercial waterways that parallel or can otherwise benefit them will be fast-tracked for designation as Marine Highway Corridors.
(1)
Establish Marine Highway Corridors as “extensions of the surface transportation system” as provided by Section 1121 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
(2)
Develop multi-jurisdictional coalitions that focus public and private efforts to use the waterways to relieve congestion-related impacts along land transportation routes for freight and passengers.
(3)
Obtain public benefit by shifting freight and passengers in measurable terms from land transportation routes to Marine Highway Corridors. In addition, public benefits can include, but are not limited to, reduced emissions, including greenhouse gases, reduced energy consumption, landside infrastructure maintenance savings, improved safety, and added system resiliency. Additional consideration will be given to Marine Highway Projects that represent the most cost-effective option among other modal improvements and projects that reduce border delays.
(4)
Identify potential savings that could be realized by providing an alternative to land transportation infrastructure construction and maintenance.
(c) Designation of Marine Highway Corridors.
The Department will continue to accept Marine Highway Corridor recommendations from prospective Corridor sponsors. Corridor sponsors must be public entities, including but not limited to, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, State governments (including State Departments of Transportation), port authorities and Tribal governments. In addition to “Corridors,” prospective sponsors may recommend Marine Highway “Connectors” and “Crossings” for designation by the Secretary (see definitions). The Secretary will make Marine Highway Corridor designations. In certain cases the Secretary of Transportation may designate a Marine Highway Corridor, Connector or Crossing without receipt of a recommendation. The Department will publish all Marine Highway Corridors that receive designation by the Secretary on the Maritime Administration's Web site. Interested parties are encouraged to visit http://www.marad.dot.gov/ships_shipping_landing_page/mhi_home/mhi_home.htm for the current list of Designated Corridors. When responding to specific solicitations for Marine Highway Corridors, Connectors and Crossings by the Secretary of Transportation, the sponsors should provide the following information in the recommendation:
(1) Physical Description of Proposed Marine Highway Corridor.
Describe the proposed Marine Highway Corridor (including Connector or Crossing), and its connection to existing or planned transportation infrastructure and intermodal facilities. Include key navigational factors such as available draft, channel width, bridge or lock clearance and identify if they could limit service.
(2) Surface Transportation Corridor Served.
Provide a summary of the land transportation route that the Marine Highway would benefit. Include a description of the route, its primary users, the nature, locations and occurrence of travel delays, urban areas affected, and other geographic or jurisdictional issues that impact its overall operation and performance.
(3) Involved Parties.
Provide the organizational structure of the parties recommending the Corridor designation including business affiliations, and private sector stakeholders. Multi-jurisdictional coalitions may include State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, municipalities and other governmental entities (including Tribal) that have been engaged. Include the extent to which they support the corridor designation. Provide any affiliations with environmental groups or civic associations.
(4) Passengers and Freight.
Identify the number of likely passengers and/or quantity of freight that are candidates for shifting to water transportation on the proposed Marine Highway Corridor. If known, include specific shippers, manufacturers, distributors or other entities that could benefit from a Marine Highway alternative, and the extent to which these entities have been engaged.
(5) Congestion Reduction.
Describe the extent to which the proposed Corridor could relieve landside congestion in measurable terms. Include any known offsetting land transportation infrastructure savings (either construction or maintenance) that would result from the project.
(6) Public benefits.
Provide, if known, the savings over status quo in emissions, including greenhouse gases, energy consumption, landside infrastructure maintenance costs, safety and system resiliency. Specify if the Marine Highway Corridor represents the most cost-effective option among other modal improvements. Include consideration of the implications future growth may have on the proposal.
(7) Impediments.
Describe known or anticipated obstacles to shifting capacity to the proposed Marine Highway Corridor. Include any strategies, either in place or proposed, to deal with the impediments.
(d) Scope of Department Support.
Marine Highway Corridors, Connectors and Crossings that receive designation will be posted on a Web site maintained by the Maritime Administration. The Department of Transportation will coordinate with Corridor sponsors to identify the most appropriate actions to support the Corridors. Support could include any of the following, as appropriate and within agency resources:
(1)
Promote the Corridor with appropriate governmental, State, local and Tribal government transportation planners, private sector entities or other decision-makers.
(2)
Coordinate with ports, State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, localities, other public agencies (including Tribal governments) and the private sector to support the designated corridor. Efforts can be aimed at obtaining access to land or terminals, developing landside facilities and infrastructure, and working with Federal, regional, State, local, and Tribal governmental entities to remove barriers to self-supporting operations.
(3)
Pursue memorandums of agreement with other Federal entities to transport Federally owned or generated cargo using waterborne transportation along the Marine Highway Corridor, when practical or available.
(4)
Assist with collection and dissemination of data for the designation and delineation of Marine Highway Corridors as available resources permit.
(5)
Work with Federal entities and regional, State, local and Tribal governments to include designated Corridors in transportation planning.
(6)
Bring specific impediments to the attention of the advisory board chartered to address such barriers.
(9)
Communicate with designated Corridor coalitions to provide ongoing support and identify lessons learned and best practices for the overall Marine Highway program.