A new U.S. Senate bill calls for taking a national view of forward-looking freight transportation projects. Reducing congestion and transportation fatalities, and improving efficiency and the environment, are among the goals.
The “Focusing Resources, Economic Investment, and Guidance to Help Transportation (FREIGHT) Act of 2010” was introduced this week by U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The Act would create a grant program for freight-specific infrastructure projects, such as freight rail capacity expansion projects, and highway projects that improve access to freight facilities.
A national debate, and a new executive agency focusing on freight movement alternatives and environmental impacts, could have a strong impact on the 710 Tunnel proposal.