North American SuperCorridor Coalition
Encyclopedia
The North America's Corridor Coalition (NASCO) is a non-profit organization that seeks to develop an international multi-modal transportation system
along the International Mid-Continent Trade Corridor
, which it claims will improve trade competitiveness and quality of life in North America.
I-35
, I-29
, and I-94
and the significant east–west connectors to those highways in the United States
, Canada
, and Mexico
. Certain commentators
and politicians
have referred to I-35 as the "NAFTA superhighway
". The beliefs associated with this appellation have been characterized as a conspiracy theory
to undermine U.S. sovereignty.
– the Ambassador Bridge
in Detroit, Michigan
and Windsor, Ontario
– and the largest inland port, Laredo, Texas
and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, the ports of Manzanillo, Colima
and Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán
. It runs as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
. Membership includes public and private sector entities along the corridor in all three participating countries. In the past, the Texas Department of Transportation
, which once proposed building the Trans-Texas Corridor
, was a NASCO member, but has not been for the last few years.
for the development of a technology and tracking tools. NASCO states that the deployment of a modern information system will reduce cost, improve efficiency, reduce trade-related congestion, and enhance security of cross-border and intra-corridor trade and traffic.
Supercorridor
A supercorridor is a proposed new type of transportation infrastructure in the United States.A supercorridor uses swaths of land up to 1,200 feet wide to carry parallel links of freeways, rails, and utility lines. The freeway portions are divided into two separate elements: truck lanes and lanes...
along the International Mid-Continent Trade Corridor
International Mid-Continent Trade Corridor
The International Mid-Continent Trade Corridor is a supercorridor linking highways in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The North American SuperCorridor Coalition promotes and lobbies for further development of the corridor...
, which it claims will improve trade competitiveness and quality of life in North America.
Scope
NASCO's scope encompasses Interstate highwaysInterstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
I-35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
, I-29
Interstate 29
Interstate 29 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with Interstate 35 and Interstate 70 to the Canadian border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Highway 75 via the short Manitoba Highway 29.-Route...
, and I-94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
and the significant east–west connectors to those highways in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Certain commentators
and politicians
have referred to I-35 as the "NAFTA superhighway
NAFTA superhighway
The NAFTA superhighway is a term sometimes used to refer to certain existing and proposed highways. The beliefs associated with this appellation have been characterized as a part of theories of a conspiracy to undermine U.S...
". The beliefs associated with this appellation have been characterized as a conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
to undermine U.S. sovereignty.
Border crossings
The project includes the largest border crossing in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
– the Ambassador Bridge
Ambassador Bridge
The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
– and the largest inland port, Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, the ports of Manzanillo, Colima
Manzanillo, Colima
The name Manzanillo refers to the city as well as its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico's busiest port. Manzanillo was the third port created by the Spanish in the Pacific during the New Spain period...
and Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán
Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán
Lázaro Cárdenas is a port city that with its surrounding municipality is located in the southern part of the Mexican state of Michoacán. It was formerly known as Los Llanitos, but changed its name as a tribute to Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, a Michoacán-born politician who was president of Mexico from...
. It runs as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Affiliations
NASCO now includes the former North American International Trade Corridor Partnership, a nonprofit organization in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Membership includes public and private sector entities along the corridor in all three participating countries. In the past, the Texas Department of Transportation
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
, which once proposed building the Trans-Texas Corridor
Trans-Texas Corridor
The Trans-Texas Corridor was a transportation network that was discontinued in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. State of Texas. The network, as originally envisioned, would have been composed of a network of supercorridors up to wide to carry parallel links of tollways,...
, was a NASCO member, but has not been for the last few years.
Funding
NASCO has received $2.5 million in earmarks from the United States Department of TransportationUnited States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
for the development of a technology and tracking tools. NASCO states that the deployment of a modern information system will reduce cost, improve efficiency, reduce trade-related congestion, and enhance security of cross-border and intra-corridor trade and traffic.
See also
- North American Free Trade AgreementNorth American Free Trade AgreementThe North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
- Security and Prosperity Partnership of North AmericaSecurity and Prosperity Partnership of North AmericaThe Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was a region-level dialogue with the stated purpose of providing greater cooperation on security and economic issues. The Partnership was founded in Waco, Texas on March 23, 2005 by Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, Vicente Fox,...