| The North Central Gulf Coast is superbly situated as a portal for U.S. trade with the world, especially with the emerging markets of Latin America. However, to maximize the economic power of the region, attention must be paid to enhancing rail transportation, improving highways and dedicating attention to the ports and waterways that create thousands of jobs and provide access to the markets of the nation’s heartland. |
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LEADING
PRIORITIES FOR THE REGION IDENTIFIED BY THE
COALITION |
- Development of an efficient, safe high-speed rail system to speed people and commerce across the North Central Gulf Coast.
- Determine the feasibility of establishing a regional international airport between Baton Rouge and Pensacola with emphasis on selection of a location that will be optimal 20-25 years in the future. All participants in the coalition also recognize that there is a current need to upgrade existing airport facilities and to work for ways to increase the number of carriers and frequency of flights serving their communities.
- Secure the widening of Interstate 10 to six lanes between Baton Rouge and Pensacola to help ensure a safe, swift corridor for commerce between the communities of the North Central Gulf Coast. This priority also recognizes the importance of the interstate highway as a means of moving goods by truck from ports along the North Central Gulf Coast to markets of the American heartland and as a pathway for shipping goods from the heartland for export through the region’s ports.
- Secure continuing funding for federal projects that enhance port operations throughout the region to build upon geographic advantages for international trade, especially with the emerging markets of Latin America.
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