Better Utilizing Marmet Locks Would Create WV Jobs
Charleston Gazette
7 May 2017
Letter to the Editor
West Virginia and, especially, Kanawha County need to take
advantage of the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s work of upgrading and
improving the Marmet Locks.
Regrettably, with the downturn in coal markets, the locks are not
being fully utilized to ship coal to the Mississippi, as they were
intended. We need to improve the state’s freight infrastructure to
take advantage of the modal freight volumes and commodities other
than coal, gas and oil.
Instead of merely using the locks to ship goods out of state, why
don’t we us the locks to ship goods in? We should take advantage
of the improved locks by creating an inland port and distribution
center above the Marmet Locks. The goods can be unloaded and
shipped by rail and trucking companies and barges, creating
hundreds of new jobs. Trade routes are changing along with new
markets, resulting in greater demand and access into and out of
various distribution centers. Intermodal transportation by truck
and rail can speed up corporations’ supply chains, reduce logistic
costs and improve the distribution and warehouse market.
This inland port would spur economic investment in Eastern Kanawha
County and be a positive economic benefit for West Virginia. A new
inland port would give international corporations a message about
West Virginia’s ability to adapt and innovate with developing
markets. The state cannot develop an inland port with its limited
resources, but with the proper nudge by a small investment,
businesses can take over and complete the port and have a stake in
its development.
Wes Holden
Sissonville