ABSTRACT
Transportation generally has been viewed as a primary ingredient in regional and national development. Improved transport may encourage existing industry and the location of new firms, facilitate commuting to work, and permit access to resources. Inland-waterway transport has not received due attention as a component of transportation and development planning in Appalachia. The bankruptcy of major railroads has focused attention upon issues associated with the economic viability of the mode. The inability of the railroads to reorganize under traditional means led Congress to pass the Regional Rail Reorganization Act. The highway system was intended to be built in conjunction with the interstate network and other federal-aid highways in order to open up areas with development potential that had been suppressed because of a lack of adequate access. All of the issues mentioned must be resolved if waterway transport is to become a more efficient contributor to the region's transportation system.
