Transportation

Clean Sweep for the South in Best Drivable Cities Report

In a story published in 1997, we wowed you by revealing that the South had double the population of the Northeast, yet its major markets had one-fifth the number of vehicular hours of delay compared to major markets in the Northeast. Our discovery has been supported again by another study done by Bert Sperling, who also does Money magazine's annual most livable places in the U.S. survey. The Sperling study, called America's Most Drivable Cities, ranked Southern markets exclusively in its top 10. In its bottom 10 worst drivable cities, no Southern market can be found. In the ranking, Sperling considered vehicular hours of delay, road quality, climate and gas prices. Included in the study were the 77-largest markets in the U.S.

Top 10 Drivable Cities

1. Corpus Christi
2. Brownsville
3. Beaumont
4. Pensacola
5. Fort Myers
6. Oklahoma City
7. Birmingham
8. El Paso
9. Memphis
10. Tulsa

Bottom 10 Drivable Cities

68. Washington, D.C.
69. Seattle
70. New York
71. Detroit
72. Oakland
73. Boston
74. Denver
75. Chicago
76. San Francisco
77. Los Angeles

Port of Savannah Expansion Could Create Over 10,000 Jobs

According to state government officials, a $120 million expansion of the Port of Savannah announced by Gov. Sonny Perdue in late July could create nearly 11,000 jobs throughout the state of Georgia by 2007. The port will add 2,100 linear feet of berthing space and over 100 acres for the handling and storage of containers. When the expansion is completed in late 2005, the Port of Savannah will have 10,000 linear feet of berthing space for container ships. That will give Savannah the capacity to become one of the largest container ports on the East and Gulf coasts. Currently, Savannah is the fifth-largest container port in the U.S. Total tonnage at the port has grown to just over 4 million tons in 1994 to over 11 million tons last year. The expansion will be paid for by the Georgia Ports Authority.

St. Louis Airport May Lose "Hub" Designation

First it was TWA that bit the dust and the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport lost one of its most important hubs. Now American Airlines, the largest passenger carrier at Lambert, has announced it is cutting more than 200 flights at the airport. All is not lost at Lambert, however, unless its "hub" designation. Shortly after American announced its flight cuts, Southwest and Northwest Airlines announced more flights into Lambert.

St. Louis Bridge Fails to Get Funding

A new Mississippi River bridge in downtown St. Louis that requires $1.4 billion in federal transportation dollars won't get funded in the newest transportation reauthorization bill. The defeat likely will put on the shelf prospects of the new bridge for at least six more years. The states of Missouri and Illinois have earmarked over $300 million towards construction of the new bridge.

Panama Canal Strikes Deal With Southern Ports

The Panama Canal Authority is partnering with several Southern ports for joint marketing arrangements that are expected to boost trade. The Canal Authority is hooking up with ports in Miami, Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans and Houston.