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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Regional food infrastructure and Blue Highways initiative
0:18:30
ยท
3 min
Kate MacKenzie discusses regional food infrastructure improvements and the Blue Highways initiative to enhance food distribution in New York City.
- Highlights the potential for increased regional food supply to urban markets
- Introduces the Blue Highways initiative to shift freight transport from roads to waterways
- Explains the benefits of marine transportation for food distribution
- Describes plans for Brooklyn Marine Terminal and a potential Hunts Point Marine Terminal
- Emphasizes increased resiliency and competitiveness in the food distribution supply chain
Kate MacKenzie
0:18:30
New York state produces enormous quantities of diverse food products, the majority of which are marketed nationally and internationally.
0:18:39
With demand rising for local and regional food for urban, public, and private markets, there's new attention to the infrastructure gaps that limit quantity of New York and neighboring state food supply to both public and private markets in the city.
0:18:55
Recent and ongoing research market research for and investment of infrastructure to scale up the volumes of regional food supply for city markets including public agencies that serve schools, our hospitals, and our senior and early feeding sites have resulted in state and federal investments in regional infrastructure and these projects are going forward.
0:19:21
New York City is supportive of these investments in regional food infrastructure.
0:19:27
Another key aspect of our food distribution is of course the transportation of food itself.
0:19:33
Nearly 90% of goods in New York City are transported by truck and roughly half of the city's food supply moves through just four major bridges and two tunnels, making the city's food distribution system vulnerable to traffic congestion and infrastructure strain.
0:19:49
Instead of viewing our island geography as a limiting factor, we're working to capitalize on the waterways that surround us.
0:19:57
In 2023, Department of Transportation and EDC announced the Blue Highways initiative to shift more freight transport from congested roadways to the city's waterways.
0:20:08
Marine transportation has potential to reduce transportation costs, decrease roadway wear and tear, streamline delivery routes, and ensure more reliable distribution in the face of emergencies or road closures.
0:20:23
Hunt's Point's proximity to the water and its position as a critical city food distribution node provide an opportunity to utilize the Blue Highways network in connection with the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
0:20:35
The redevelopment of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal will invest in the site and operational upgrades to make it more efficient and competitive allowing the marine terminal to attract more businesses.
0:20:47
A Hunts Point Marine Terminal would enable the barging of perishable food into the Bronx and the nearby Hunts Point Food Distribution Center from Brooklyn Marine Terminal, again decreasing truck traffic in the city, adding resiliency, and making New York City more competitive in the food distribution supply chain as food distribution companies consider where to locate their warehouses, their distribution centers, and ultimately where they create jobs.
0:21:15
By investing in infrastructure to improve operations at Hunts Point, Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and other sites along the East River, we're increasing resiliency to ensure New York City is better equipped to move food in and around the city, especially during times of emergency.