I serve on Gov. Beverly Perdue's N.C. Logistics Task Force, which is working to grow North Carolina's economy through logistics. We have made significant progress thus far aligning education, workforce and economic development, the legislature, Ports Authority and DOT.
A key element of these strategies involves better connecting North Carolina and the Piedmont Triad region with global commerce, most of which is shipped by sea, primarily in ocean-going containers. Our two deepwater ports in Morehead City and Wilmington capture only a tiny fraction of cargoes discharged at East Coast ports. Highway access to the Morehead City port is limited, and depth is a huge impediment in Wilmington, a challenge that cannot be overcome because of the Cape Fear River's rock subsurface.
Our neighboring states and the ports of Norfolk, Charleston and Savannah are poised to capture the huge projected increase in container shipments when the Panama Canal widening is completed in 2014. This new port activity will catalyze the creation of substantial new investment and jobs in Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia.
