Major US Modal Gateways, 2004

Trade and physical flow imbalances are clearly reflected at major American modal gateways. Almost all the gateways—land, maritime and air alike—are characterized by traffic imbalances where inbound traffic far exceeds outbound traffic. This is particularly the case for maritime gateways linked with long distance international trade with Europe and more specifically Asia. The West Coast is notably revealing and is the most imbalanced both in the concentration and the direction of the traffic. Inbound traffic accounts for about 80% of all the traffic handled by ports. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled 75% of the total freight dollar value brought in through the West Coast. NAFTA land trade gateways tend to be more balanced, but still reflect a negative flow. A similar pattern is observed for air gateways. What also characterizes North American gateways is their high level of concentration in a limited number of gateway systems; a set of modal gateways within a relatively defined region that acts as a functional system linking that region to international trade.