Within the scope of a more comprehensive investigation the Mid-America Regional Council and Kansas City Smartport, as well as both the Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation were seeking to evaluate the potential economic impacts of various freight transportation initiatives that may be undertaken within the region. The overall study used REMI simulation software and included a series of deliverables focused on identifying freight infrastructure needs and assessing Kansas City’s regional transportation advantages, resulting in targeted strategies and messages for the region. The study deliverables were freight directory, business survey, focus group summary, freight infrastructure investment plan, regional freight assessment, freight flow analysis, and freight and the environment in Kansas City. The analysis considered nine separate scenarios and arrived at the conclusion that some combination of those scenarios or even the substitution of equally viable alternatives would inevitably lead to increased commerce within the region and a degree of attendant prosperity.
