Coalition calls for creation of freight infrastructure fund

The Coalition for America's Gateways & Trade Corridors yesterday introduced a new "Freight Can't Wait" campaign as part of an effort to encourage Congress to pass a surface transportation law that contains a fully funded freight grant program.

The campaign highlights 36 gateway and corridor projects of national significance that would improve freight hubs, sea and land gateways and augment roadway capacity to diminish freight traffic chokepoints, coalition officials said in a press release.

Coalition members spoke yesterday at a "call-to-action" event to highlight Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act (H.R. 1308), a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) that would dedicate about $8 billion a year to freight-related infrastructure projects. The legislation would focus on multimodal project, in addition to projects that help relieve bottlenecks in the freight transportation system.

"Freight infrastructure needs dedicated funding. Establishing a competitive grant program with broad, multimodal project eligibility throughout the U.S. is a priority for our coalition and should be for our country also," said Leslie Blakey, the coalition's executive director.