With traffic across the United States producing more and more snarls, a recent report from the Department of Transportation indicates trade growth between the United States and China not only is a contributor, but will likely impact it further.
The report published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics notes that US-China trade over the last two decades has impacted the US transportation system by increasing traffic at air cargo hubs and seaports. The highway and rail infrastructure that supports the movement of cargo to and from these facilities also has been affected. In particular, growing air trade with China in the Southwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States and the increase in water trade at West Coast ports have put an even greater demand on the transportation infrastructure serving those areas.
Future changes are expected to affect the trade routes, such as the widening of the Panama Canal that will likely shift trade-related traffic from congested West Coast ports to less crowded ports in the Southeast, according to the report.