It looks as if there is some congestion on the Buffalo River these days, so if you're trying to get to work on time (and you're captain of a freighter), you may want to leave port a few minutes early. At the same time, if you're a rower trying to get from Dead Man's Creek (BSRA Rowing Boathouse) to the Inner Harbor, keep your head up as you go around each bend - and when you run head to head with the Herbert C. Jackson freighter, you may just want to pull over for a couple of minutes to let the big guy through.
That was the scene yesterday when Rick Smith (Rigidized Metals) called me and told me that there was a great photo opportunity on the Buffalo River. He reported that there was a bottleneck of boaters - a bit of a standoff between the king of the lake and the new kids on the block. If you think that this is an impressive sight, then just try to imagine being in one of the rowing shells as the behemoth slowly passes by.
If these images are of interest to you, then you may want to join in on some of the Boom Days activities this weekend. If you're not familiar with Buffalo's waterfront, these types of events are great ways to acclimate yourself to one of the city's greatest assets.
Update: from Mason Meiler:
"I was one of the rowers in the boat dodging the titan of a ship. I just wanted to share that it was Buffalo Seminary's veteran team and the Hutch Tech rowing team of nearly all novice rowers and that it was only my second day on water and it was a phenomenal experience. I thank you for putting that article on you're website. It cheered all of us up very much and got us over our fear, seeing how dodging a freighter is probably the scariest thing one would have to experience while rowing." -Mason
View image
That was the scene yesterday when Rick Smith (Rigidized Metals) called me and told me that there was a great photo opportunity on the Buffalo River. He reported that there was a bottleneck of boaters - a bit of a standoff between the king of the lake and the new kids on the block. If you think that this is an impressive sight, then just try to imagine being in one of the rowing shells as the behemoth slowly passes by.
If these images are of interest to you, then you may want to join in on some of the Boom Days activities this weekend. If you're not familiar with Buffalo's waterfront, these types of events are great ways to acclimate yourself to one of the city's greatest assets.
Update: from Mason Meiler:
"I was one of the rowers in the boat dodging the titan of a ship. I just wanted to share that it was Buffalo Seminary's veteran team and the Hutch Tech rowing team of nearly all novice rowers and that it was only my second day on water and it was a phenomenal experience. I thank you for putting that article on you're website. It cheered all of us up very much and got us over our fear, seeing how dodging a freighter is probably the scariest thing one would have to experience while rowing." -Mason
Clear passage - notice the windmills in the background? Photos by Rick Smith
freight traffic in the buffalo harbor is only going to go up in the years to come as high gas prices make it competitive again.
LMAO! Ok, whatever you say!
what world are you living in, Skybox?
http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aynniB7KeFNM
As Public Enemy said, DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
I live in the real world of the USA, since you asked. I see that you are living in a world created by the media. You believe one article about France and extrapolate that to mean that this is a major trend that is going to effect Buffalo in the near future? I'll believe it when I see it.
the department of transportation says this:
"Analysis of five major U.S. freight corridors that serve over 95 percent of the U.S. population – Great Lakes (and St. Lawrence Seaway), Gulf Coast, Mississippi River, East Coast, and West Coast – indicates that domestic waterborne containerized traffic has the potential to increase by a factor of 2 to 3 as diesel fuel prices increase from $2 up to $7 per gallon."
http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/Modal_Shift_Study_-_Executive_Summary.pdf
The report says that shipping may increase with the increase of fuel prices as long as other factors change too. The other thing to keep in mind is this is an expansion of traffic on the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes shipping route. Buffalo is not a major contributor to that route and hasn't been for decades. I don't think we are on top of our game enough to take advantage of any increase in shipping traffic to Buffalo. We are too short sighted to capitalize on this, for instance we want to tear out highways, we've torn out the railroads, and we don't want to expand our bridges and highways to Canada. We want to take down the Skyway which would close off traffic to the Buffalo River. So what will this get us for the 8 months that the seaway is open each year?
NOTHING!
Skybox> "We are too short sighted to capitalize on this, for instance we want to tear out highways, we've torn out the railroads, and we don't want to expand our bridges and highways to Canada. We want to take down the Skyway which would close off traffic to the Buffalo River."
With the exception of a few redundant lines, our railroad network is intact and very active. As long as we have that and emerging vessel traffic, prospects would appear to be good for an increase in shipping activity on the waterfront.
Who told you tearing down the skyway would close the Buffalo River?
What do you mean by that?
@Armchair > I don't believe we have a rail transfer yard or hub near the river anymore. The closest one that I know of is the CSX yard. The yard that was there was torn out many years ago and the DL&W might be the only remnant of these lines.
I prefer to stick with the plan of using the Union Canal and Buffalo River for recreation and occasional shipping traffic. This is better for Buffalo as a whole.
There are plenty of spurs that connect the riverfront area to these yards as well as the main line that runs just east of Tift Farm. The Buffalo Creek lines servicing the inner harbor still have regular service to these points.
I agree with you on using the river for recreation but I don't think an increase in commercial traffic would significantly displace leisure activity. I would expect some increase in commercial traffic due to gas and grain prices but not enough to choke the harbor with freighters. There is plenty of room for both uses.
Actually, you are correct. There is already talk among many SSL's on how to tap into the intermodal freight market using the lakes. Intercity containerized freight carried either by barge or by ship reduces truck traffic and in many cases is faster and cheaper than rail or straight truck line haul.
All along the US Coasts there are several "short sea" freight routes running on the long-neglected US Marine Highway system, and with each passing year they are growing in popularity as they directly serve ports which are no longer called by the major ocean shippers.
You data is incorrect