Intermodal moves inland.(utilizing inland ports for inland water transportation)(Brief article)

Intermodal carriers looking to avoid port and highway congestion along the East and West coast are taking more advantage of inland ports, says one transportation analyst.

"We believe many shippers are increasingly utilizing inland ports to bypass highway congestion either at coastal ports or interior transloading centers," said Justin B. Yagerman, a transportation analyst with Wachovia Securities.

With transportation movement within the United States increasingly driven by the rising demand for finished good imports from the Asia-Pacific region, freight patterns are shifting from originating at traditional manufacturing centers within the U.S. interior to …