The second day of the 2010 MVFC Conference and Annual Meeting is now in the books.
In the morning, there were two panel discussions, one devoted to water transportation and other to rail transportation.
The Water Transportation panel was moderated by Rich Cooper from the Ports of Indiana, who also gave a presentation on the Indiana Model and “Highway H20.” Bob Goodwin from the USDOT Maritime Administration talked about America’s Marine Highways. Patrick Donovan from the West Virginia Public Port Authority spoke about maritime transportation and its place in a truly intermodal transportation system. Rick Morgan from the US Army Corps of Engineers gave a presentation about the aging infrastructure of the Ohio River system and the need for investment in locks and dams.
The Rail Transportation panel was moderated by Matt Dietrich from the Ohio Rail Development Commission. Greg Levy from the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway gave the perspective of a class II railroad that works heavily with the steel industry. Christopher Luebbers from Northfolk Southern talked about the Heartland Corridor and the CREATE project, as well as other infrastructure projects. Carl Warren from CSX spoke about the National Gateway and the Ohio Intermodal Terminal.
At lunch, conference attendees heard Jolene Molitoris, Director of the Ohio DOT, talk about freight, infrastructure, and transportation projects in general in Ohio and the Mississippi Valley region.
In the afternoon, the conference shifted gears slightly with a panel discussion on Economic Development and Transportation, moderated by Joanna Pinkerton from the Ohio DOT. David Holt spoke about the efforts of Conexus Indiana and the needs of freight in the “crossroads of America.” Ed Wolking from the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council talked about the councils efforts, as well as his work with the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Detroit Metro Chambers organization. Dan Ricciardi wrapped up this session with a talk about logistics and the work of the Columbus Region Logistics Council.
After the sessions were finished, about half of the conference attendees took a tour of the Union Station Tower A museum and the CSX Queensgate Yard.
The third and last day (a half-day, really) of the conference will be devoted to the MVFC annual business meeting, where attendees will gather ideas for the coming work in the MVFC.
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