At the end of Price Tags 105 – the one on the Erie Canal – I asked whether “a way of life … along the Erie Canal, with abundant water, renewable energy and fertile land, may have a more sustainable future” than the high-energy, road-dominated world we have built.
After decades of decline, commercial shipping has returned to the Erie Canal, though it is a far cry from the canal’s heyday…. Once nearly forgotten, the relic of history has shown signs of life as higher fuel prices have made barges an attractive alternative to trucks.
The canal still remains the most fuel-efficient way to ship goods between the East Coast and the upper Midwest. One gallon of diesel pulls one ton of cargo 59 miles by truck, 202 miles by train and 514 miles by canal barge, Ms. Mantello said. A single barge can carry 3,000 tons, enough to replace 100 trucks.
Full story in the New York Times here.
