Transportation

QUIZ

Based on number of passengers in calendar year 2002, name the top five airports in the South. BONUS QUIZ: Name the South's top two airports that made the world's top 10 air cargo airports.

(Scroll down for answer)

Savannah Port Moving Up

Charleston, S.C. and Savannah, Ga. ports are major competitors. Their locations make them so. Over the years the Charleston port has held a healthy lead over Savannah in volume of shipments. That lead now has narrowed. In fact, the primary ports in Georgia and South Carolina are racing neck to neck in volume. In 2001, Savannah was ranked the seventh-largest port in the country and Charleston No. 4 in volume of shipments. The next year saw Savannah pass Norfolk and Oakland for fifth place. The first few months of 2003 show that Savannah has passed Charleston for fourth place. However, we'll have to wait until end-of-year numbers are in before we know if Savannah has actually passed its neighbor to the north.

Kentucky's I-66 Project Gets Fed Environmental Review

Kentucky's proposed I-66 project that will connect State Highway 80 and Interstate 75 in the southern part of the state has received accelerated environmental review from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced in the spring that the project will join six others as high-priority, federally assisted transportation projects. The others include the Kentucky-Indiana Ohio River Bridges project, transportation systems in New York post 9/11, an interstate connector in Maryland, a U.S. Highway corridor in Montana, an Interstate upgrade between Lincoln and Omaha, Neb., and an environmental study for Los Angeles World Airports.

Birmingham to Memphis Interstate Designation Stalled

Corridor X, which runs from Memphis through Tupelo, Miss. and on to Birmingham, will not receive interstate designation any time soon. Interstate quality for all of its route in Mississippi, with the remaining portions near completion in Alabama, politicos representing communities along Corridor X's route tried to push a House measure in the 2003 transportation appropriations bill that would have changed the name of the 95-mile Alabama section of the highway to "Future Interstate 22." Alabama's portion of the route has already been designated as an unnumbered future interstate, which naturally means Mississippi's portion would be too. But the U.S. Senate failed in March to approve the House measure. Officials in Tupelo claim officials in Tennessee are to blame for the measure's defeat. Of the 260 miles of Corridor X, only about 12 miles run through Tennessee. As a result, Mississippi and Alabama officials say that officials in Tennessee don't realize the need to expedite designating the road as a future interstate. Officials in Alabama and Mississippi point to the fact that automotive suppliers and assemblers prefer interstate sites and that an early designation would help those communities in and around Corridor X turn those deals, which are prevalent, now.

Jaxport Earns High Rating

Moody's Investors Services recently awarded the Jacksonville (Fla.) Port Authority a rating of "A2," the industry's second-highest financial rating. Moody's based the rating on Jaxport's revenue streams supported by a myriad of industry contracts, its large volume of container business and the fact that the port remains the nation's largest vehicle processing center. It is estimated that Jaxport supports more than 45,000 jobs in Northeast Florida.

Large Land Holdings Keep Orlando International in the Black

In a post 9/11 age when airports are bleeding red ink all over the place, Orlando International Airport is earning tens of millions of dollars from land sales. The nation's third-largest airport in the world in terms of land holdings (15,000 acres), OIA has turned seven large real estate projects since March of 2001 that have an estimated economic impact on the Orlando region of over $500 million. In the past 12 months Southwest Airlines has set up crew and maintenance bases at the airport and a new Federal Express sorting facility opened. Cessna Aircraft announced recently a $30 million Citation Service Center that will create over 500 jobs and Flight Safety International opened an eight-bay simulator facility for pilot training. In addition, several hangars were built or leased, including one for Galaxy Aviation and Continental Airlines. Just 38 cents of every dollar in OIA revenue comes from air operations.

Miami's Tunnel Visions

In the entire state of Florida, there's only one tunnel, the Henry E. Kinney tunnel in Fort Lauderdale, which runs under the New River. But if the Miami River Commission gets its way, there will be four tunnels in the state within a few years. Plans are already underway for a Port of Miami tunnel and the MRC is recommending tunnels replace the 12th and 27th avenue bridges that span the Miami River. Those two bridges open 31 times a day on average, interrupting street traffic for almost three hours a day.

Travel & Leisure Names Best Cities for Public Transportation

A recent survey done by Travel & Leisure magazine and America Online has named San Antonio, Orlando and Austin as the top cities in the South for public transportation. Other Southern markets earning favorable marks for public transit include Nashville, D.C., Dallas/Fort Worth and New Orleans.

QUIZ

In terms of passengers served, the top five airports in the South are Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami and Orlando. BONUS QUESTION: The two Southern airports that are in the top 10 worldwide in air cargo are Memphis and Miami.