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TopicTransportation Hub
ContentI submit this idea with the understanding that it really isn't mine, but comes from a meeting I had last year with Bob Portiss, Port Director, Port of Catoosa. The Scenario: (1) The major ports on the east and west coasts are congested -- almost clogged beyond their ability to deliver the goods needed for commerce. I'm told cargo can sit for weeks before it is delivered to its destination. (2) We could make Oklahoma an intermodal "cargo hub" and alleviate this gridlock at the major deep water ports. The Idea: Oklahoma is located at the crossroads America, and we have all the major forms of transportation -- highway, rail, air and water. Our waterway is the westernmost inland waterway in the nation, and it provides us with a major gateway to the Gulf, and thus to world trade. Here's the idea, and it's visionary: (1) build floating marinas or ports in the Gulf of Mexico. Offload cargo and ship it via the McClellan-Kerr Waterway to Oklahoma. (2) Adjacent to the waterway, the state owns several thousand acres of land. It's called Camp Gruber. Gruber could be turned into an intermodal hub for international cargo. It's ideally located near water, rail, highway and air facilities. Visionary? Yes! Expensive? Yes, but it makes no sense for us not to take advantage of our geographical and manmade advantages. Bob Portiss is convinced this could be done. It at least deserves futher thought. Thanks for the opportunity to submit. Ronn
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