What is Marine Highway M-84?

Marine Highway M-84 is an interconnected network of waterways, locks, and dams linking Astoria, OR, to Lewiston, ID, traversing the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. This route encompasses the Columbia, Willamette, Snake, and Clearwater rivers, serving as a crucial connection between inland industries and agriculture to essential ocean ports.

The Marine Highway M-84 offers a dependable, clean-energy transportation system that presents a safe alternative to railroads and conventional highways. It facilitates barge transportation for shipping goods to the coast for overseas export, effectively avoiding the traffic and weather delays often encountered on traditional roadways. In comparison, Interstate 84, which runs alongside the Columbia River in Oregon, is identified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a "freight truck bottleneck," causing an annual delay of 750,000 truck hours.

For farmers in the Palouse region, the option to use barges for shipping products to deep water ports and onto vessels bound for global markets is not just a preference but a necessity. Escalating costs, driver shortages, and inadequate and unreliable infrastructure have made traditional transportation alternatives cost prohibitive. Other industries rely on M-84 for transportation of high, wide, and heavy loads such as wind turbine blades and large equipment, and for movement of other goods such as lumber.

While Marine Highway M-84 provides significant benefits to agriculture and industry, its advantages extend to everyone. By using waterways like Marine Highway M-84, we can reduce road congestion, lower air emissions, save energy, and decrease the number of accidents on our already burdened highways.