Freight Movement Affects Ports-to-Plains

How many products have you purchased this week? Groceries, consumer electronics, fuel, clothing? It is probable that every one of those products involved delivery by one or more trucks. This is what Ports‐to‐Plains is really about. Over the upcoming weeks, the Ports‐to‐Plains Alliance will provide an overview of the mission of the Ports‐to‐Plains Alliance. The series will look at the safety opportunity and the potential economic benefits offered by the expanded corridor.

Freight movement drives the number of trucks that pass through our communities. Population and the economy drive freight movements. The U.S. economy is expected to double in size over the next 30 years. By 2045, the nation's population is projected to increase to 389 million people, compared to 321 million in 2015. Expect to see more trucks passing through our communities. Picture 65 percent more trucks on the highways you drive and which your community relies upon to receive goods to purchase and send goods to markets. Expansion to a four‐lane divided highway will make our highways and communities safer.

As populations grow consumers demand more and more goods and want "just in time" delivery. The result is a growing number of trucks on our highways. The goods available at your local retail outlet and the cost of these goods is directly impacted by highways connecting your community to the world.

The following excerpt is from the DRAFT National Freight Strategic Plan.

"Our freight system moves approximately 63 tons of goods per American each year. As our population grows and our economy expands, demand for freight will grow as well, placing additional strain on an already challenged transportation system. U.S. freight demand will be affected by several trends:

• Freight will grow across all transportation modes.

• The changing nature of our economy and population will affect where and how freight moves.

• All else being equal, growth in overall freight demand will place increased pressure on infrastructure throughout the country, with particularly significant impacts concentrated in certain areas.

• Increasing domestic energy production will have profound implications for our transportation system."

With no question that freight movement will continue to increase, the expansion of the Ports‐to‐Plains Corridor is critical.

Stay tuned for regular updates that look at the Ports‐to‐Plains corridor from the viewpoint of safety, economic development and transportation funding.

Ports‐to‐Plains is a grassroots alliance of over 275 communities and businesses, including alliance partners Heartland Expressway, Theodore Roosevelt Expressway and Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor Coalition, whose mission is to advocate for a robust international transportation infrastructure to promote economic security and prosperity throughout North America's energy and agricultural heartland including Mexico to Canada. Additional information on the Ports‐to‐Plains Alliance is available at http://www.portstoplains.com/.