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It does, but that doesn't mean that the major west coast ports have adequate freight rail service. It seems to me the solution is to have a major rail artery w

It does, but that doesn't mean that the major west coast ports have adequate freight rail service. It seems to me the solution is to have a major rail artery which at least allows freight to be delivered to a distribution center farther inland(Ontario, Palm Springs, or somewhere east). That would free the truckers from dealing with LA freeway traffic. Another option would be a canal up to the Salton Sea. Obviously that's a much more major effort but it has nearly endless economic and ecological benefits.

donarb 5y ago
LA/Long Beach ports already have a dedicated rail corridor specifically for quickly sending rail traffic out of the LA basin and on to the midwest. Part of the problem is that rail yards in Chicago are clogged with trains that can't be unloaded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
axiolite 5y ago
> Another option would be a canal up to the Salton Sea. Obviously that's a much more major effort but it has nearly endless economic and ecological benefits. That would be an obscene undertaking... going a hundred miles THROUGH several mountain ranges. There would be no ecological benefit. Salton sea will still not have an outlet, so after a one-time dilution, the seas will continue to increase in salinity, endlessly. It needs a massive supply of FRESH water to try to dilute the salt down to acceptable levels. Sea water with salt will just worsen the problem, long-term. The economic benefits are marginal. You'll be limited to the number of vessels the canal can handle, the size of the port you can build in the desert, and you very quickly overwhelm the roads in the area. Any malfunction or damage to the canal would be devastating... the unstoppable flooding in the low desert and along the canal zone would be unprecedented.
- jelliclesfarm 5y ago
  Salton Sea was a big mistake in the past. It has opportunities. I have heard several proposals for Salton Sea canals, but this is interesting. I would like to hear more if the original poster can elaborate.
- 01100011 5y ago
  No, I'm saying go up from the Sea of Cortez. No mountain ranges that way. That region is an active rift zone and with that combined with sea level rise will likely cause sporadic flooding anyway. El Centro is a dozen or two feet below sea level already. The alternative is, what, a toxic dust bowl with little economic value besides a lithium farm and a geothermal plant?
  - axiolite 5y ago
    > go up from the Sea of Cortez. Okay, so now it's an international construction project, with all the political barriers that brings. And running close to the Colorado river. > The alternative is, what, a toxic dust bowl It's the Salton sea that caused the area to become "toxic". Bringing in more sea water with no solution to ever clean it up will provide just a short-term reprieve to the area, but exacerbate the problem long-term. Your plan is to create a much larger toxic dust bowl.
bobthepanda 5y ago
You mean like this major rail artery from the Port of LA? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor
otherotherchris 5y ago
Down to the Salton Sea, it's surface sits 65m below the Gulf of California. You dig a 200m wide canal and massive network of locks, all you've done is build a half trillion dollar shortcut from the Colorado River to the Coachella valley, an area with no infrastructure. Or you could build a 20 mile tunnel from the Port of LA/Long Beach to offload the road network. I even know a local guy with a tunnel boring machine company.

donarb 5y ago

LA/Long Beach ports already have a dedicated rail corridor specifically for quickly sending rail traffic out of the LA basin and on to the midwest. Part of the problem is that rail yards in Chicago are clogged with trains that can't be unloaded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

axiolite 5y ago

> Another option would be a canal up to the Salton Sea. Obviously that's a much more major effort but it has nearly endless economic and ecological benefits. That would be an obscene undertaking... going a hundred miles THROUGH several mountain ranges. There would be no ecological benefit. Salton sea will still not have an outlet, so after a one-time dilution, the seas will continue to increase in salinity, endlessly. It needs a massive supply of FRESH water to try to dilute the salt down to acceptable levels. Sea water with salt will just worsen the problem, long-term. The economic benefits are marginal. You'll be limited to the number of vessels the canal can handle, the size of the port you can build in the desert, and you very quickly overwhelm the roads in the area. Any malfunction or damage to the canal would be devastating... the unstoppable flooding in the low desert and along the canal zone would be unprecedented.

jelliclesfarm 5y ago
Salton Sea was a big mistake in the past. It has opportunities. I have heard several proposals for Salton Sea canals, but this is interesting. I would like to hear more if the original poster can elaborate.
01100011 5y ago
No, I'm saying go up from the Sea of Cortez. No mountain ranges that way. That region is an active rift zone and with that combined with sea level rise will likely cause sporadic flooding anyway. El Centro is a dozen or two feet below sea level already. The alternative is, what, a toxic dust bowl with little economic value besides a lithium farm and a geothermal plant?
- axiolite 5y ago
  > go up from the Sea of Cortez. Okay, so now it's an international construction project, with all the political barriers that brings. And running close to the Colorado river. > The alternative is, what, a toxic dust bowl It's the Salton sea that caused the area to become "toxic". Bringing in more sea water with no solution to ever clean it up will provide just a short-term reprieve to the area, but exacerbate the problem long-term. Your plan is to create a much larger toxic dust bowl.

bobthepanda 5y ago

You mean like this major rail artery from the Port of LA? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_Corridor

otherotherchris 5y ago

Down to the Salton Sea, it's surface sits 65m below the Gulf of California. You dig a 200m wide canal and massive network of locks, all you've done is build a half trillion dollar shortcut from the Colorado River to the Coachella valley, an area with no infrastructure. Or you could build a 20 mile tunnel from the Port of LA/Long Beach to offload the road network. I even know a local guy with a tunnel boring machine company.