Transportation hub too important to shut down

When an event like last week’s snowstorm freezes travel through metro Atlanta, the entire Southeast gets a chill.

Atlanta was founded as a railroad hub, and today it is one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs, sometime called the “largest inland port in America.” Among its assets:

● Three major interstate highways intersect in the city: I-85, I-75 and I-20.

● Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the world’s busiest air passenger hub and has been ranked among the top 30 for freight.

● Major intermodal rail terminals — some among the nation’s largest — where container freight carried by trains from ports such as Savannah is transferred to trucks for delivery throughout country.

● Headquarters of major shippers such as UPS and the Saia trucking firm.

BY THE NUMBERS

What’s at stake:

640.8

Millions of truck-tons of freight that moved through Georgia in 2007, the most recent year for which figures are available.

52.5

Millions of truckloads that represented.

204.8

Rail freight tonnage (in millions) that moved through Georgia, 2007.

655,277

Tons of air cargo shipped through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2008.

2,500