Shovel Ready Project will Create Jobs, Reduce Emissions and Grow the Economy WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Gateway announced today that it has been awarded $98 million in funding from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The National Gateway coalition is committed to putting Americans to work as soon as possible and building strategic infrastructure to meet our nation's future transportation and environmental needs. The federal funds invested in this project will immediately be put to work alongside state and private funds to drive direct and long-lasting benefits in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina - as well as the rest of the nation. "This grant is a validation of the benefits of freight rail and the prominent role that railroads play in growing our economy and protecting our environment," said Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, whose state served as lead sponsor for the National Gateway TIGER application. "With anticipated freight growth of 70 percent over the next two decades, the National Gateway is a timely and critical investment in our transportation infrastructure." The National Gateway is an $842 million, multi-state public-private infrastructure initiative dedicated to reducing congestion on the roads and highways, lowering transportation emissions, and conserving energy. This important project enhances freight capacity by creating a highly efficient double-stack rail corridor between East Coast sea ports and consumption centers and Midwest distribution centers, improving the nation's economy and environment. Trains can move a ton of freight more than 436 miles on a single gallon of fuel, making rail transportation at least three times more fuel-efficient than alternatives. By converting over 14 billion highway miles to double-stacked rail cars, the National Gateway will enable shippers to save over $3.5 billion in shipping costs, reduce fuel consumption by nearly 2 billion gallons and lower CO2 emissions by almost 20 million tons. The National Gateway will yield an estimated $22 in public benefits for every dollar of public money invested by: creating greater capacity for goods moving in and out of the Midwest, reducing transit times between coastal ports and major population centers by 24 to 48 hours; reducing highway congestion and transportation emissions; and creating over 50,000 jobs. Construction on some National Gateway projects has already begun. Federal funding will make up only about 30% of the investment required to make the National Gateway a reality. The sponsoring states are expected to contribute $189 million of the $842 million total, and CSX Corporation and its affiliates are contributing an additional $395 million. The National Gateway is supported and endorsed by an unprecedented coalition of governors and regional officials across six states, more than three dozen members of Congress, three port authorities, and dozens of global shippers, ocean carriers, business organizations and environmental groups. For more information about the National Gateway, visit http://www.nationalgateway.org/. DATASOURCE: National Gateway CONTACT: Richard VanOrnum, National Gateway, +1-617-752-1177 Web Site: http://www.nationalgateway.org/

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