Not to mention the fact that every NIMBY and enviro-freak within a hundred miles of the area would scream bloody murder (and probably do far more than that) if any real effort to build this (much less begin the necessary environmental studies and legal proceedings in order to get approval to build) were ever made. While those kooks probably didn't kill off the timber industry up there, it's certain they'll try to stop a project like this before it can start. The canal across Nicaragua or the proposed intermodal ports in Mexico will likely be built and operational long before this hypothetical project ever leaves the drawing board.