Letters to the Editor
Posted 6:50 p.m. Monday, December 14, 2009
The Port of Palm Beach's decision Thursday regarding its inland port location will affect all of South Florida. By every measure, the Treasure Coast Intermodal Campus in St. Lucie County is the location the port should choose.
The ability to have direct rail access to any intermodal facility is the most critical component, followed by direct interstate access. The Treasure Coast site has both, along with plenty of land that can be built on quickly. We cannot afford to delay, as there is serious competition for the cargo market from Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. Ports in these states have already been investing and building the infrastructure necessary to capture the growth from the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2014.
If community leaders are serious about their constituents benefiting from jobs that the building and operations of this facility will provide, they should understand the implications that environmental opposition, infrastructure costs and time pose in the reality of whether this project ever gets off the ground. The other sites are sure to face these types of challenges.
Commissioners should pay close attention to these factors as they assess the four sites. They should choose a site that presents the most realistic opportunity for our region.
PAUL ANDERSON
Fort Lauderdale
Editor's note: Paul Anderson, a former member of the Federal Maritime Commission, is a consultant for the Treasure Coast Intermodal Campus.
