Coalition Calls for Dedicated Freight Trust Fund
he Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors on Wednesday called for the establishment of a dedicated Freight Trust Fund to finance U.S. freight transportation projects.The Coalition recommended that revenue for the trust fund be collected through highway user fees, tolls, customs and cargo fees and be made available to all modes of transportation, with funds set aside for multi-jurisdictional and multi-state projects.“Goods movement projects are disadvantaged because freight now competes for funding with all other transportation projects, from transit needs to congestion mitigation and air quality and safety,” said Michael Huerta, a legislative spokesman for the coalition. “More often than not, when forced to compete with ‘people projects,’ freight infrastructure improvements are put on the back burner.”