CORRIDORS OF THE FUTURE PROGRAM UNVEILED
January 28th, 2007
By: Alice McGuffie
January 29, 2007
HOT OFF THE PRESS!!.......CBWC EXCLUSIVE REPORT
The U.S. Department of Transportation will be unveiling its CORRIDORS OF THE FUTURE PROGRAM within days according to Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters. Speaking to the Transportation Research Board in Washington, DC on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, Ms. Peters said
"President Bush is urging Americans to stop accepting congestion as a fact of life or as just another cost of doing business.
That is why as part of his energy security plan, the President provides 175 million dollars to support the Department’s on-going congestion relief efforts. These new funds will supplement monies that have already been committed to helping state and local governments find fresh and innovative ways to reduce gridlock.
One of the most promising options for combating out-of-control congestion is to turn to technology and invest in innovation. And that is exactly the kind of approach we are embracing as part of our anti-congestion initiatives.
Foremost among these approaches is the new technological capability to accurately price the growing costs of congestion. In fact, there are few ideas that hold more promise to reverse, not simply just slow, the growth of traffic tie-ups.
We have seen this concept used on a network basis in other countries and in individual facilities in the United States. However, we have yet to see a broad demonstration here.
We believe that when you combine such new approaches to pricing highway systems with expanded commuter transit services, commitments from employers to expand work schedule flexibility, an expansion of real-time traffic information, and other successful operational strategies, we can demonstrate that a sustainable approach to congestion relief is no longer theory.
The Department is already taking steps to work with state and local communities to test a combination of these leading-edge approaches and technologies and bring them into the mainstream. Now, the President has called for additional funding to be made available.
The President will also ask Congress to provide funds to support our efforts to begin tackling congestion along our most critical trade and travel corridors.
Our competitive Corridors of the Future program seeks to accelerate the development of trade and travel corridors. The goal is to identify projects that have the greatest potential to relieve traffic based on current and projected growth patterns and target them for long-term investment.
Corridors of the Future encourages public and private entities to work together to leverage their resources, while at the same time cuts red tape so vital projects can be developed, built, and put into use faster than ever before.
We received nearly 40 applications for our Corridors of the Future competition. And tomorrow and Friday, we will announce eight corridor projects that will receive further consideration. These projects will be one step closer to getting on the fast track toward solving the chronic congestion that is keeping this Nation from reaching our full potential."
The Department of Transportation began soliciting proposals for the Corridors of the Future Program (CFP)in September, 2006.
The primary objectives of the CFP as outlined in September are to :
A. Promote innovative national and regional approaches to congestion mitigation.
B. Address major transportation investment needs.
C. Illustrate the benefits of alternative financial models that involve private sector capital.
D. Promote a more efficient environmental review and project development process.
E. Develop corridors that will increase freight system reliability and enhance the quality of life for U.S. Citizens.
F. Demonstrate the viability of a transportation investment model based on sound economics and market principles.
To read more:
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/peters012407.htm
www.access.gpo.gov/nara
Source: CBWC
