Degree Name

BS

Department

Management

College

Marriott School of Management

Defense Date

2023-03-10

Publication Date

2023-03-17

First Faculty Advisor

Simon Greathead

First Faculty Reader

Scott Webb

Honors Coordinator

Mark Hansen

Keywords

Salt Lake City, intermodal transportation, import and export services, freight forwarding and consolidation, supply chain optimization, trade expansion

Abstract

Over the last 20 years, US imports and consumer demand have been steadily growing with no clear end in sight. Despite this, approximately 40% of all our containerized imports are processed through only two ports – the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles. In 2021, these two locations alone moved over 10 million import containers. In order to help ease the strain on our nationwide supply chain – an issue that came clearly into view during the COVID-19 pandemic – in 2016, the University of Utah submitted an assessment regarding a possible inland port in the region and Governor Gary Herbert created the Inland Port Exploratory Committee to further the development of this concept. These plans were more formalized in 2018 with the creation of the Inland Port Authority and Inland Port, legal entities created by the Utah State Legislature in bill SB234. However, since its inception, the Utah Inland Port has come with its fair share of criticisms and controversy despite the organization’s claim that they will “future-proof Utah by creating a robust supply chain and establishing a trade and logistics hub for the Intermountain West.” Through the use of interviews with key stakeholders, analysis of past publications (including scholarly articles and media coverage), and retrospective analyses of other inland ports in the United States, this paper will seek to present detailed and objective findings regarding the proposed inland port project, including both the positive and negative impacts it would have on the region.

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