I-81 Corridor Coalition Concept Gains Speed
By Heerwagen, Peter
After years of talk, the I-81 Corridor Coalition concept has hit the pavement running.
About 70 officials from six states-New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee-along with federal government representatives, business leaders, transportation planners and conservationists-met on September 11 and 12 in Carlisle, Pa., to begin planning efforts to deal with mutual concerns stemming from an interstate corridor that runs 824 miles from Tennessee to the Canadian border.
Major issues were congestion on the interstate, as well as freight and intermodal issues, safety, aging bridges and other infrastructure and environmental impact/quality of life concerns. As Congressman Roscoe Bartlett said at the meeting, “The problems are corridor-wide. They are not local problems. We’ll just be a lot more effective if we are united.”
Two years ago, the Quad State Legislative Conference passed a resolution asking Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania transportation officials to form an I-81 Corridor Coalition, but nothing happened. However, an I-95 Corridor Coalition to the east has been in existence for some time, and George Schoener, its executive director, spoke at the Carlisle meeting.
Cumberland County (Pa.) Commissioner Rick Rovegno organized last month’s meeting. “It was a gathering of individuals and individual entities, which by unanimous agreement voted to move forward with consideration of a statement of intent to form a coalition,” he said. “Then it decided to impanel a planning committee.
“We didn’t discuss individuals that would be on it, but what types of representation we wanted. It is a 12-person committee, including one transportation official from each of the six states. The other six people represent viewpoints of various groups with an interest in the corridor.”
Rovegno represents the viewpoint of county and local governments on the planning committee. Other members include Jim Dimascio, executive director of the Greater Binghamton (N.Y.) Economic Development Coalition; Ben Cline, R.-Lexington in the Virginia House of Delegates; Bob Gordon, executive director of the Hagerstown/ Eastem Panhandle MPO (metropolitan planning organization) which represents both Maryland and West Virginia; Jeff Welch, executive director of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization; and Jeffrey Box, president & CEO of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, a community and economic development organization in Pittston.
In addition, two representatives of the freight movement industry- trucking companies and railroads-will serve as ex officio members. “The reason they are just ex officio,” said Rovegno, “is that we are trying to create a public policy table where we can flesh out issues on a level playing field.”
Rovegno said he hopes the committee will report to the larger group in six to eight months, possibly as early as next spring. Cumberland County will serve as the administrative arm of the committee.
“We want to develop an overriding mission statement with an organizational structure that can be presented to all attendees at the next conference,” said Rovegno. “It’s most important to get different viewpoints. We want to secure the highest levels of health, safety and welfare of the citizens living in the I-81 corridor.”
When funding is needed, the coalition hopes to enlist the services of Rep. Todd Platts, a Republican who represents parts of Cumberland, York and Adams, Pa., counties and serves on the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “He has agreed to be our champion in seeking federal appropriations,” said Rovegno.
“It’s great to finally get a regional I-81 effort moving forward,” said Virginia Del. Cline, one of the planning committee members, in a press release. “The best way for Virginia to improve conditions along I-81 is for us to work together with the other five states along the I-81 corridor. We not only need cooperation from federal, state, and local governments, but also private and nonprofit input as well.”
Copyright News for Business, Inc. Oct 2007
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