I-40 Economic Impact Study: Impact of Interstate 40 on the Port of Wilmington

摘要

The report examines the impact of a recently opened 120-mile section of Interstate 40--from Wilmington to Raleigh, North Carolina--on the relative competitiveness of the Port of Wilmington. It reviews data from exporters and importers in North Carolina on their use of several eastern seaboard ports. The authors find that ports are chosen largely on the basis of distance and travel time, since services offered at the ports are quite similar. The new I-40 section will reduce the average truck shipment time from mid-Piedmont manufacturers to Wilmington by almost 25 percent, saving about $46 per trip, and about $10.6 million annually.