National Gateway Receives Federal Stimulus Funds through TIGER Program
18 2월 2010 - 3:27AM
PR Newswire (US)
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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