Mayor Kasim Reed joined U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Charleston, South Carolina, Mayor Steve Benjamin, Columbia, South Carolina, and North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Nick Tennyson on a panel discussion today about the region’s transportation system and its future. The U.S. DOT launched Beyond Traffic in early 2015 to spark a national dialogue about the shape, size and condition of our nation’s transportation system and how it will need to meet the needs and goals of our nation for decades to come.

“Atlanta is the leading logistics hub for the Southeast region, connecting our residents and businesses to the rest of the nation and to the world. Ensuring an efficient, connected transportation network is essential for job creation and the continued economic prosperity of the City of Atlanta as well as the entire Southeast region,” said Mayor Reed. “Secretary Foxx is demonstrating extraordinary leadership in pulling together leaders from across the region to have a conversation about our transportation needs. I look forward to having a robust discussion with civic and business leaders today and into the future.”

Elected officials, civic and business leaders from the Piedmont-Atlantic “mega region,” comprising Charleston, SC; Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham, NC; and Columbia, SC attended the panel and a day-long series of discussions. The forum will facilitate conversation and solicit feedback for the final Beyond Traffic report on key transportation trends and policy proposals, to be published in 2016.

The report examines the trends and choices facing America’s transportation infrastructure over the next three decades, including a rapidly growing population, increasing freight volume, demographic shifts in rural and urban areas, and a transportation system facing more frequent extreme weather events. The report predicts increased gridlock nationwide unless changes are made in the near-term.