{"id":75042,"date":"2026-02-03T16:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/889061960"},"modified":"2026-02-03T16:48:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:48:10","slug":"great-lakes-ports-study-inland-waterways-cargo-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/03\/great-lakes-ports-study-inland-waterways-cargo-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Lakes ports study inland waterways cargo expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"
Written by<\/span> Marine Log Staff<\/a><\/span> <\/header>\n
\"image <\/p>\n

Photo: Ports of Indiana<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA), including members Ports of Indiana, the Illinois International Port District (IIPD), and Port Milwaukee, in partnership with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), announced today that they will begin a comprehensive market analysis aimed at expanding cargo movement between the Great Lakes and inland waterways system.<\/p>\n

Together, the Great Lakes and inland waterways move close to 700 million tons of cargo each year, supporting critical American industries including steel making, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and other cargo. At the intersection of these two systems is one of the most important industrial and freight hubs in the U.S. Despite being two of the world\u2019s busiest inland shipping corridors, only a small percentage of cargo currently moves between the Great Lakes and inland rivers.<\/p>\n

The study will examine opportunities to increase waterborne commerce by leveraging this river\u2013lake connection, evaluating market demand, identifying promising cargo flows, and exploring the infrastructure and operational needs required to support greater integration.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn alignment with President Trump and Transportation Secretary Duffy\u2019s commitment to strengthening U.S. supply chains, we recognize that enhancing the connection between the Great Lakes and our inland waterways is a vital step toward securing America\u2019s big and beautiful economic future,\u201d said Mike McCoshen, GLS administrator. \u201cBy improving the flow of goods\u2014especially the exports that power the Heartland\u2014we\u2019re not only boosting economic growth today but reinforcing our nation\u2019s long-term competitiveness for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

AGLPA President, Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, said, \u201cFor too long, the connection between the Great Lakes and the Inland Waterways has been an underutilized asset in America\u2019s freight network. This study will help identify the cargoes, markets, and infrastructure needed to make river\u2013lake shipping more efficient and commercially viable. AGLPA and our member ports are committed to a data-driven approach that strengthens maritime commerce and reinforces our region\u2019s vital role in the nation\u2019s supply chains.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s local match is being provided by the three major Lake Michigan ports in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. These states account for 65% of the economic activity related to U.S. Great Lakes shipping and also handle millions of tons via river barge moving through the Chicago shipping canal and the Mississippi River system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to join this unprecedented partnership to explore how we can better connect two of the busiest inland shipping corridors in the world,\u201d said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. \u201cMaritime transportation can be further leveraged in the mega region formed by Chicago, Milwaukee, and Northwest Indiana to improve freight transportation, lower emissions, reduce highway congestion, and grow economies throughout the Great Lakes and inland waterways systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Port of Chicago already moves more than 13 million tons of cargo through the port,\u201d said Erik Varela, executive director of the IIPD. \u201cIncreasing river\u2013lake cargo flows would not only create significant economic opportunity for our region and the country but will also do so in the most energy efficient manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPort Milwaukee is the northern most approved point on the Great Lakes with access to the Inland River System and plays a key role in serving manufacturers, agribusiness, and distributors across the Upper Midwest,\u201d said Benjamin Timm, port director at Port Milwaukee. \u201cThis study will help us identify new ways to move cargo efficiently and strengthen our role in the national freight network.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conducted by CPCS Transcom Inc. in collaboration with the AGLPA, GLS, and member ports, the study will identify opportunities to expand cargo movements between barges and lake vessels, assess operational and infrastructure needs, and outline strategies to enhance the efficiency and viability of transloading operations.<\/p>\n

Conducted by CPCS Transcom Inc. in collaboration with the AGLPA, GLS, and member ports, the study will identify opportunities to expand cargo movements between barges and lake vessels, assess operational and infrastructure needs, and outline strategies to enhance the efficiency and viability of transloading operations. It will also examine how expanded maritime service could improve supply chain reliability, support key industries, create jobs, and relieve pressure on congested highway corridors.<\/p>\n

\nCategories: Inland<\/a>, News<\/a>, Ports & Terminals<\/a><\/span><\/span>
\nTags: American Great Lakes Ports Association<\/a>, CPCS Transcom<\/a>, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway<\/a>, Illinois International Port District<\/a>, inland waterways<\/a>, Jody Peacock<\/a>, Port Milwaukee<\/a>, Port of Chicago<\/a>, ports of indiana<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… busiest inland shipping<\/span> corridors, only a small percentage of cargo<\/span> currently moves … , and Northwest Indiana to improve freight<\/span> transportation, lower emissions, reduce highway … move cargo<\/span> efficiently and strengthen our role in the national freight<\/span> network …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75042\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}