WSP04630

• File Number: 8407.500
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications - Missouri River
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 12/1/1971
• Author: Missouri Basin Inter
• Title: Missouri River Basin Comprehensive Framework Study - Volume IV - Economic Analysis and Projections - Appendix
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Because of the relatively large operating module (a
2,000-ton barge), this mode of transportation becomes
economically feasible to the barge owner only when a
designated minimum-size shipment is reached. The
out-of-pocket expense for moving an empty barge is
nearly the same as for a fully loaded barge. Except for
terminal cost per ton, costs for barge lots would almost
be the same as for less-than-barge lots. Hence, the larger
the volume of traffic being shipped, the lower the per
unit costs may be. Either the individual buyer at the
terminal is large or the terminal market is large enough
to absorb large volumes of individual commodities. The
relatively low line-haul cost associated with barge traffic
becomes more significant as the distance traveled is
increased and works to equalize the relatively high
terminal costs. These factors establish a minimum
shipping distance within which barge traffic is not
competitive with other modes of transportation com-
monly associated with short hauls. Usually, both shipper
and the buyer are located on or near the river, because
when other forms of transportation are needed for
trans-shipment the relatively low costs of barge transport
are offset.
Of the I] Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in
the region, only four are located on the navigation
channel of the Missouri River. The nature of commodi-
ties and markets available to these metropolitan areas
may act as limiting factors to the growth and develop-
ment of barge traffic. Almost two-thirds of the present
tonnage movement is downstream. A more equitable
balance of movement upstream is essential to a more
economic and efficient traffic pattern. Gross tonnage of
commercial barge movement on the Missouri River was
2.6 million tons in 1967, an increase of 85.7 percent
over 1960. Historic and projected traffic on the Missouri
River, measured in ton-miles, is presented in table 28.

Table 28 - COMMERCIAL BARGE TRAFFIC,
MISSOURI RIVER, HISTORICAL AND
PROJECTED

Year

Tonnage

(Thousand Tons)
435
1,441
2,272
2,590

Traffic

(Thousand Ton-miles)
186,291
658,818
1,003,035
1,200,000
2,605,000
3,200,000
3,300,000

1955
1960
1965
1967
1980
2000
2020

In terms of commodity shipments by barge, farm
products presently account for approximately
60 percent of the total tonnage. In 1967,91 percent of
the downstream traffic consisted of farm products and
8 percent was food and kindred products. Among
principal commodities shipped upstream were chemicals,

42

32 percent; nonmetallic minerals, 18 percent; food and
kindred products, ] 7 percent; stone and clay products,
14 percent; petroleum products, ]0 percent; and metal
products 9 percent. Waterway construction materials of
an intraport variety are not included in commercial
water tonnage statistics.

Highway Systems

Highway and air transportation are the two modes of
transportation which are experiencing continued expan-
sion in both commercial and noncommercial use. These
two modes of transportation also share a common
problem in that their concentration of markets is in the
urban areas and it is in these areas where the greatest
demand for expanded services and facilities exist. The
Missouri Region has four east-west and three north-south
interstate highway routes. In addition, there are numer-
ous Federal and State highways providing intra- and
inter-basin routes. Only the main arterial network of
highways is shown in figure 16.
In 1960, the nine-state areal had about 864,500
miles of highway, or 24.4 percent of the Nation's total
highway mileage. Of the area's total, 53,700 miles were
municipal roads and 483,] 00 miles were rural surfaced
highways, or ] 2.5 and 22.3 percent of the Nation's total
mileage in these respective categories. The balance of the
roads in the area was classified rural nonsurfaced. By
1965, total highway mileage had increased in the area to
about 883,500 miles, but its share had dropped to 23.9
percent of the Nation's total highway system. While
municipal highway mileage in the area had increased
about 3,400 miles, its share of the total had decreased to
11.3 percent. Rural surfaced mileage had increased
47,000 miles, or to about 23.0 percent of the national
total. The area currently has 7,377 miles of designated
interstate highway, or about 18.0 percent of the national
system. By 1965, 3,974 miles of this system had been
open to traffic in this area, representing 18.8 percent of
the total interstate system open.
Somewhat indicative of the amount of overall traffic
in the area is the number of motor vehicle registrations.
Automobile registration, including taxicabs, in the nine-
state area in 1960 was approximately equal to the area's
share of the Nation's population, 8.7 percent in 1960
and 8.5 percent in 1965. Total motor vehicle registration

1 The nine-state area, for the purpose of this discussion,
consists of Colorado, towa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming,
having a total of 21.7 percent of the Nation's total area
and, in 1960, 8.3 percent of the population and, in 1965,
8.0 percent. In contrast, the Missouri Region had 14.4
percent of the Nation's area and, in 1960, had 4.4 percent
of the population. The nine-state area was chosen for
comparison due to the availability of statistical informa-
tion. Minnesota was excluded because of its relatively
small share of the region's area and population.