Miami River supporters push short-sea service.

Activists involved in promoting the Miami River are advocating a plan to use light barges and tug combinations to move cargo containers from the Port of Miami up the Miami River to an intermodal depot where they can be loaded on trucks.

The Jones Act requires that ships used in the service be built in the U.S. and utilize U.S. seamen. The backers suggest it is a temporary way to reduce truck traffic downtown by loading trucks closer to the county's warehouse district and the local expressway system.

Consultants from national engineering firm Kimley-Horn and Associates planned to propose short-sea shipping to the Miami River Commission at its April 2 meeting …