John McCray, associate professor of management
Research Close-up: John McCray is grounded in inland ports
(June 25, 2002)--John McCray, associate professor of management, is principal investigator for the project "Impact of Inland Ports on Trade Flows and Transportation in Texas," funded by the Texas Department of Transportation. UTSA's ongoing research on inland ports could have substantial influence on Mexico-United States trade and business opportunities in South Texas.
Aimed at establishing criteria for the development of inland ports in Texas and Mexico, as well as the transportation infrastructure required to support them, the study will also identify optimum locations for inland ports, ultimately providing a framework for economic growth.
Ideally, inland ports are cities with significant population and manufacturing plants that are bound by land, unlike seaports. Two prime examples are Monterrey in Mexico and the Alliance Complex in Fort Worth. These inland ports ship automobiles, beer and many other products from within the U.S. and Mexican interiors.
Some of the factors that make an inland port possible are water transportation (i.e. river, lake), airports, roads, manufacturing plants and, of course, people. There are other, more complicated issues that make an inland port successful for U.S.-Mexico trade, including cross-border transportation, business viability and the frequency of freight shipments by truck and rail between the two nations.
The UTSA study will be expanded this year. When the research is finished,
the Texas Department of Transportation will be able to evaluate possible inland
port locations and establish the transportation facilities needed to support
that development.
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