East-West Gateway Council of Governments today voted to move forward with plans to have the Bi-State Development Agency (BSDA) lead a new regional freight partnership aimed at optimizing the region’s freight transportation infrastructure.
The creation of the new partnership is the outcome of months of planning in response to recommendations made in the 2013 Saint Louis Regional Freight Study which was commissioned by East-West Gateway. The study determined existing capabilities, gaps, and potential for growth in this sector of the region’s economy. East West Gateway then sponsored a Regional Freight Working Group, a team of regional leaders and industry experts committed to understanding the results of the study and developing a regional strategic action plan. The resulting plan calls for the establishment of a regional freight district and associated authority called America’s Gateway.
A broad consensus of freight experts suggests that the actions to be undertaken by America’s Gateway will boost St. Louis’ competitive position among its peers in becoming not only a premier multimodal freight center in the Midwest region through job and economic growth, but also a freight center with global reach ready to compete in international markets.