U.S. ports to invest billions in upgrades

   U.S. port authorities and their private-sector partners are planning to invest up to $46 billion over the next five years in capital improvements in their marine operations and other properties, according to a recent survey by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). In the meantime, AAPA and its members are continuing to advocate for a national freight infrastructure strategy to address what the organization describes as federal and state neglect of the expansion and upkeep of intermodal links such as roads, bridges, tunnels, and federal navigation challenges. According to the survey, U.S. port authorities are projecting an investment of more than $18 billion on their own through 2016, while private-sector capital expenditures in port infrastructure will total more than $27 billion over the same period. According to AAPA, this level of investment will create more than 500,000 direct, indirect, and induced domestic jobs.