Quadramodal buzz - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://millerplacecivic.org/meet.asp
It’s the buzz word that the is using to help describe the vast distributionm capabilitiesin Memphis. And though it may sound condensingthe rail, port, road and air capabilities of the area into 11 letterx is a strategy the chamber hopes will be a conversation starter in corporate board rooms from Chicago to “Every mode of transportation is important,” says Dexte Muller, Chamber vice presidenty of community development.
“If you want to be you have to work on all of the modex becauseyou don’t know which is goin to be important for you in the Luckily for Muller and city plenty of work and infrastructure investment has already been put in placw to make Memphis one of the premier distribution hubs in the U.S. Althoug h being the central hubfor Memphis-based shippinh giant certainly helps, Memphis’ seat at the top has also depender on developing transportation infrastructure outsid e of the airport. Memphis is home to the third-best railroad network in the U.S.
About 220 freighr trains cross through the city daily thanks to the fact Memphisx has a rail presence from all five ofthe class-oner railroads: Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Norfolk Southern, Canadianm National, and CSX. Though it may not be as well the is the fourth largest inland port in the handling 19.1 million tons of cargk in 2006. The port is the largest still-watere harbor on the Mississippi River and is home to 44 private terminal and fivepublic terminals. In 2006, the port provided an annuap economic impactof $5.5 according to research conducted by the Chamber. development of these assets has been key due to the recent increase inintermodal shipments.
As manufacturing shiftds to Asia, more products are beingb imported and distributed via riverand “Intermodal is the name of the game today becauss products, if they are coming from overseas, they are comingt to a port and are either going to take rail or the port to Memphies and then take truck to the ultimatde marketplace,” Muller says. Add that to the fact that Memphishandlefd 3.7 billion of tons of freight at and the area has the third-busiesr trucking corridor in the U.S., and economicf developers are hopeful that Memphisz will continue to bring in new companies to reap the cities’ logistica l benefits.
“It’s all about today and tomorrow,” says Arnold chairman of the . “Quadramodal offers the Memphisd region an economic advantage that will result in significantt economic development in theyears ahead.” But even with strong infrastructures already in place, area leaders are working on furthefr improvements to put the Memphis over the top. One of the chied concerns is developingthe Interstate-22 and Interstate-69 interstatew projects. President-elect Barack Obama has been vocal aboutr providing a resurgence for fundinbg infrastructure likethe I-69 roadway, a projecty aimed at connecting Canada to Mexico, whicu will come through Memphis.
I-22, an interstate that will eventuall connect Memphisto Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, has alread received full federal funding and is in the pipeline for Besides the Birmingham connection, I-22 has also been pusherd by Memphis leaders in ordetr to improve congestion along Lamar. As home to many of the area’s trucking terminals, Lamar is constantly congested withtruck “You see a limited access highway in says Julie Ellis, attorney for and a memberr of the Memphis aerotropolis steering committee. “But then you hit the Tennessede line andyou say, ‘Oh my goodness; wher e did it go?
’ ” Ellis and other city leaders involved with the Memphis aerotropolia movement have also slated the area for improvemenf because it represents the southern doorwayt into the airport area.