Although there have been denials of such a highway, the North American Super Corridor Coalition (NASCO) exists to promote just such a system of highways.  One piece of it is in progress in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City SmartPort is an “inland port” that is proposed to handle  Mexican customs and inspections.  It is to be the link between seaports in Mexico and major truck, air and rail lines in the United States, all the way to Manitoba, Canada.  (Another piece of the NASCO super corridor, is the Trans-Texas Corridor-the TTC)

Here’s the troubling part. After cargo arrives at Mexican seaports (mostly from Asia), it is to be shipped to Kansas City, and from there to the rest of the US and Canada. The cargo will be approved and screened for security in a Mexican port. Trucks and rail are to be inspected for safety in Mexico.  According to press reports, there will be a US “border inspection" when the cargo reaches the Mexican border. 

However as we now know, a very small percentage of cargo is inspected by Homeland Security. They will rely primarily on the port personnel in Mexico. The vast majority of cargo will  pass through the border unimpeded and will not be inspected. We will be relying on other countries to keep us safe from terrorism, nuclear waste and semi-trucks full of illegal immigrants, guns, drugs or other illegal cargo.

Other problems with the “SuperHighway “ and SmartPort that concern many Americans are:

      U.S. Sovereignty. A Mexican customs office is planned for  Kansas City (with the innocuous name of Kansas City Customs). If the U.S. State Department approves it, this will be  the first foreign customs operation on US soil, and there is a concern that Mexico will have sovereignty in their facilities (ie, Mexican customs office will not be subject to US laws). This is currently on hold by the US State Department. 

U.S. jobs will permanently be lost. Good paying union jobs in the US for American truckers, railway workers, airline staff, warehouse personnel and dockworkers will permanently shift to non-Americans. For example, the Mexican Ports that are being developed are funded and run in part by a Hong-Kong shipper. Additionally, the Texas-Trans Corridor (a piece of the superhighway) is to be contracted out to a Spanish company to build and operate. We don't know how many TTC related jobs will go to US Citizens, and how many will go to foreigners. The profits from privatizing highways will flow out of our country, and we will lose tax revenues as well!

Environmental Issues. Mexico does not require the level of emission controls that the US does. As more Mexican trucks enter and traverse the United States, more pollution will accompany them. 

·         Concentrated level of pollutants in Kansas City. Additional pollutants and ozone concerns are raised by the planned increase in rail and truck traffic in the Kansas City Area. Locomotives-which are too expensive to shut down-usually run 24 hours a day, and are one of the worst polluters in the transportation system. Mexico does not currently require the same level of emission controls as the US does.
 
 Kansas City taxpayers are providing a loan (and the property) for the construction of the Mexican customs facility!

Emminent Domain. New highways like the TTC, will take up to a million acres of land through the use of emminent domain.

PPP-Private Public Partnerships. This is how much of the superhighway system will be built. Private companies will lease the highway infrastructure, and they will recoup their investment plus profit with tolls and receipts from concessions (gas stations, restaurants, etc.) American highways will be effectively owned, controlled and maintained by foreign companies that will make a profit. For existing (not new) highways, taxpayers will literally pay for the same highway twice.  See privatization section of this website.


Join us in taking action so that the Citizens of the United States are involved in these and other decisions affecting our sovereignty, jobs, the environment, immigration and homeland security.