New Illinois State Freight Advisory Council Appointed

On March 18th the Illinois Department of Transportation announced the forty-one members of the Illinois State Freight Advisory Council. The new members of the Council include representatives from the shipping and freight industries, agriculture, manufacturing, academia, economic development and local government. The panel of experts, with extensive knowledge of the state’s system of highways, waterways, airports and railroads, will advise IDOT and other state agencies on all issues involving freight transportation. An initial focus will be on the Long Range State Transportation Plan, the Freight Mobility Plan and the State Rail Plan.

Will County is well represented on the Council; four CED Board members will sit on the Council: Larry Walsh, Will County Executive; Eric Gilbert, CenterPoint Properties; Adam Roth, NAI Hiffman and John Greuling. In addition two other CED Board member organizations are on the Council as well: Wes Lujan, Union Pacific Railroad and Christopher Clott, University of St. Francis.

The council is patterned after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Freight Advisory Committee, which IDOT Secretary Schneider was appointed to chair last year. The council’s first meeting is scheduled for May 12th.

Will County Freight Advisory Council

The CED Board of Directors has approved the creation of its own Will County Freight Advisory Council. Much like the national and state freight council’s, the Will County freight council will be made up of private companies in the logistics business, railroads, developers and business associations and public officials. The purpose of the Council is to:

• Sustain Will County’s position as a global logistics center;
• Provide a forum for discussion of critical issues facing the logistics industry;
• Communicate Will County priorities regarding freight movement and industry needs;
• Provide a clearing house for information on the freight industry in Will County;
• Develop a Will County freight plan for the Will County Transportation Blueprint;
• Provide advice and recommendations to public policy bodies on existing or proposed plans, projects, policies, ordinances, laws etc. affecting the movement of freight in Will County.

Source: Will County Center for Economic Development
Official press release: Illinois Department of Transportation