I never forgot this lesson. That is why we, at the U.S. Department of Transportation, are working hard to expand opportunity in some of America's isolated localities - localities that have yet to enjoy the record economic prosperity found in the rest of our nation. Through programs such as the Delta Initiative and the New Markets Initiative, we are partnering with businesses to inject new capital, new investment, and new opportunity into hard-pressed communities. Investing in transportation infrastructure is directly related to economic and community development. This is the message we took during trade missions to South America and Africa, and will take to Latin America and the Caribbean later this month.
Transportation is the crucial link - it is the tie that binds.
The bottom line is that you cannot trade if you cannot get your product there is a safe, efficient and reliable way. Our host city is an excellent example of how infrastructure investment are paying huge dividends. But you will hear more on that from Mayor Paul Schell later in the discussion. We have an exciting agenda ahead of us and an excellent panel of national and international experts to hear from We have a lot to cover and a lot to learn. Before we get started, let's take a moment to view a short video of transportation infrastructure investment at work here in America.