At the recent meeting of the Mid-America Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO), the Executive Committee of the Mid-America Freight Coalition authorized the Coalition for an additional three years, through 2015.
During these three years, the Mid-America Freight Coalition will focus on aligning it’s research programs and its regional freight study, currently underway, with the recently enacted Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) surface transportation bill.
“With the passing of MAP-21 into law, the emphasis on freight will only increase,” said MAFC Program Manager Ernie Perry. “The history of collaboration in our region and the current efforts across the Mid-America states positions them well for moving forward in the world economy.”
The Mid-America Freight Coalition will also expand its outreach efforts to include the chief engineers from the ten state departments of transportation in order to collaborate with them on innovative freight practices, trends, and policy options.
The ten member states each contribute $25,000 per year to the Coalition’s pooled fund; the National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Development (CFIRE) provides $250,000 per year. CFIRE will continue to provide coordination and member support for the Coalition.