ITGO ANNOUNCES SKYWAY FORUM FOCUSED ON FREIGHT
BUFFALO, NY (November 4) – Buffalo Niagara International Trade Gateway Organization (ITGO) executive director Craig Turner announced today that the region’s logistics industry group will hold a forum, “Freight Challenges of a Redesigned Skyway," on Tuesday, November 19 from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. in the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council’s “Sunburst Conference Room,” 438 Main Street in Buffalo. The program will highlight the critical freight needs of the Skyway corridor, and the importance of keeping regional logistics at the forefront of the public dialogue on the issue.
“It’s very easy to get caught up in Take-Down-the-Skyway Fever, but the road actually has a very practical purpose that many companies and future development programs depend upon,” said Turner. “The impact – and possible solutions for freight movement in case a new design is the end result – is a critical part of the conversation. ITGO exists to bring this perspective to the regional dialogue, and we’re very pleased to be getting an avid response to doing so.”
Presenters at the event include Mike Leydecker, Associate Principal, Wendel, Hal Morse, GBNRTC Executive Director and Steve Weathers, Chief Executive Officer for the Erie County Industrial Development Agency. The program will include a moderated discussion with attendees, as well.
“Hundreds of commercial trucks use the Skyway every day, and that number only promises to grow with economic development efforts along Route 5 south of downtown,” Turner said. “The conversation on November 19 is not being designed to support or oppose any specific proposal for the Skyway, but to raise the awareness that the Skyway is strategically important to a great many companies in our region, and their ability to access their suppliers and customers.”
More information, including registration details, can be found at www.itgobuffaloniagara.com/events. The Skyway forum is open to the public, but registration is required.
The International Trade Gateway Organization (ITGO) is a collaborative initiative of the public, private and academic sectors to create a globally-known logistics center in the bi-national Buffalo Niagara region. The mission of the Buffalo Niagara International Trade Gateway is to build upon the capacity of existing organizations and leverage the advantages of the region – extensive transportation system, experienced logistics and trade networks, positioning as part of the third largest and fastest growing metropolitan region in North America, and our history and reputation since the nineteenth century – as a center for trade and commerce.