Better use of North American waterways would improve freight
transport. Only 2% of U.S. domestic freight among the lower 48 states
is moved by sea. A report on coastal (short-sea) shipping notes that
“virtually no coastal shipping for cargo currently exists between U.S.
ports in the lower forty-eight states, despite the fact that the interstate
highway system is at or near capacity”(Borgerson et al., 2008). The authors of this report write: