U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Visits Georgia's Proposed Brampton Road Connector Project |
|---|
Topics: Anthony Foxx
|
Federal Highway Administration
17 February 2015
FHWA 10-15
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Contact: Neil Gaffney
Tel: 202-366-0660
Calls for Increased National Transportation Investment
SAVANNAH, Ga. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx joined Congressman Buddy Carter and local officials today at the proposed Brampton Road Connector and pointed to Savannah's efforts to move freight faster and more efficiently as an example of communities' needs nationwide. The Secretary's visit is part of a four-day, five state bus tour, The GROW AMERICA Express, highlighting the importance of investing in America's infrastructure and to encourage Congress to act on a long-term transportation bill.
"We know that the amount of freight moving around this country will increase by 45 percent by 2040 and you can bet that some of that growth will happen right here in Savannah," said Secretary Foxx. "The people of Savannah have waited far too long to get this last mile built, and we've all waited too long for Congress to pass a meaningful long-term funding bill. The Brampton Road Connector is one must-do project we need to complete if we want to be competitive globally in the future."
When completed, the 1.1-mile-long Brampton Road Connector – estimated to cost $26 million – will consist of a new road beginning northwest of SR 25/I-516 interchange at the Burnsed Boulevard intersection and continue northeast to Brampton Road, which will be widened to accommodate two left turn lanes into the Georgia Ports Authority's Container Gate 3. Along with making traffic signal improvements, workers will relocate the existing Norfolk Southern Rail Road track at Burnsed Boulevard to a new overpass location to eliminate at-grade rail crossings on the new roadway. Construction could be ready to begin as soon as 2016, but funds have not yet been identified.
"Better roads lead to better shipping by air and sea," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. "Savannah deserves good transportation and good trade. By investing in America, we can build a better economic future here in Georgia and elsewhere."
A cornerstone of economic development, the Port of Savannah is central to Georgia's logistics industry which supports new job creation and other business opportunities statewide.
On February 2, the Obama Administration announced a plan to address the infrastructure deficit with a $478 billion, six-year surface transportation reauthorization proposal, building on the the GROW AMERICA Act, which the Administration first released last year. The plan makes critical investments in infrastructure needed to promote long-term economic growth, enhance safety and efficiency, and support jobs for the 21st century.
The need for these investments is clear. Earlier this month, U.S. DOT released a landmark study, "Beyond Traffic," that looked at the trends and choices facing American transportation over the next three decades. These included a rapidly growing population, increasing freight volume, demographic shifts in rural and urban areas, and a transportation system that's facing more frequent extreme weather events. A key takeaway of the study was that we need keep investing in transportation for the sake of future generations, and the proposals included in GROW AMERICA would allow us to do just that.
The GROW AMERICA Express will include visits to universities, manufacturers, bridges, freight facilities, and highway projects in an effort to raise awareness of America's infrastructure deficit. Secretary Foxx will visit with students, business leaders, transportation stakeholders, and community residents, to discuss the projects that work, projects that are needed, and to ask them to commit to standing up for a future with an American transportation system that is second-to-none.
To follow the Secretary's tour, visit http://www.dot.gov/grow-america.