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The River of Trade Corridor Coalition (ROTCC) was created in 2004 to unite cities, counties, transportation authorities, freight movement entities, and businesses along this trade route to protect, maximize, and expand commerce and the economic vitality of the Corridor while, at the same time, identifying opportunities to relieve congestion from seaports, land ports, railroads and interstates, as well as addressing negative environmental impact concerns and safety and security matters.
The 3,300 mile high-volume goods movement Corridor follows existing rail and interstate routes. The Corridor follows the southwest-northeast trade route from Laredo, Texas to Detroit, Michigan/Windsor, Ontario via Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo. The Corridor also follows the Interstate 45 corridor moving goods to and from the Port of Houston and the Interstate 10 corridor and rail route from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach through Phoenix, Tucson, Las Cruces, El Paso and Fort Worth into Dallas.
Currently, the River of Trade Corridor Coalition includes over 300 members and enjoys the support of growing multistate Congressional and Legislative Caucuses.
As international trade to and from the U.S. continues to increase significantly, it is important for cities, counties, businesses, states, and international entities to work together to improve and ensure the efficient and safe movement of trade to and through the U.S. This trade provides valuable economic development opportunities to our collective communities.
Vision, Goals & Objectives:
- To protect, expand, and maximize the economic vitality of the above described goods movement and trade corridors.
- To mitigate congestion and facilitate environmental compliance.
- To identify common goals and interests of the municipal governments, transportation authorities and businesses along the corridor and take the appropriate, collective action at the local, regional, state, national, and international levels.
- To mobilize representatives from cities, counties, and organizations along goods movement corridors to speak with one voice about issues impacting the corridor.
- To facilitate a positive and timely exchange of information among members along the corridor.
- To engage in and to facilitate dialogue with Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Departments of Transportation, appropriate federal agencies involved in goods movement, trade and commerce, and security issues, and other appropriate entities along the corridor to identify and collectively secure any available funding to enhance the corridor.
- To further develop the River of Trade Corridor Congressional and Legislative Caucuses, which are in place to provide support for the Coalition’s goals and objectives at the federal and state levels.
- To facilitate the efficient movement of freight to and from land ports and seaports. As the volume of imported and exported goods continues to grow, it becomes even more important to efficiently and quickly move freight to inland distribution destinations.
- To coordinate the just-in-time delivery of containers from inland locations traveling outbound, and vice versa.
- To insist that the existing congestion, safety, and pollution issues along the corridor be addressed and provide appropriate avenues, such as collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding “green and clean” technologies, to address these issues.
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