Page 17: of Marine News Magazine (July 2012)

Governments will continue to provide reasonable subsidies so essential ferry services can be maintained, largely because alternatives, which include building bridges and tunnels, are too expensive. State governments are not likely to initiate funding such large capital investments due to the current cash-strapped position of many state budgets. And, despite massive ARRA funding and Tiger Grants to the transport sectors meted out by the federal government, very little of this ever makes it to the waterfront. So much for America?s vaunted ?marine highways? ? The looming dark cloud for this industry is contained in the knowledge that, as of 2007, 117 of the 240 locks operating on the inland waterways were more than 50 years old, considerably beyond their originally intended lifespan. One Ohio River was forced to close for two months during 2003, due in part to aging infrastructure. IBISWorld estimates that these occurrences will become more common unless substantial investment is made to modernize waterways infrastructure. The limited new river infrastructure effectively prevents new geographical markets for this industry. And yet, the proposed budget for the USACE is 5% less for the coming Þ scal year. What is a mother to do?IBISWorld writes over 700 US industry reports that are updated up to four times a year. To see and purchase this full 41 page report, go to www.ibisworld.com or call: 1800-330-3772. E-mail: [email protected] (IBISWorld Industry Report 48321). www.marinelink.com MN 17