From Seattle in the north to San Diego in the south, West Coast ports are jammed with cargo. The roads and rails leading to them are overburdened. Freight fees are high, and businesses are looking for alternatives.

Spokane is looking to capitalize, but first others need to see how they can help themselves by helping the city become an international hub for freight.

The region has already been identified as a place where the smooth transit of cargo breaks down. The entire state has a stake in upgrading the transportation system, and a vital component is the North Spokane Corridor.

Trucking companies say the lack of a north-south expressway through Spokane costs them dearly because of added time and fuel costs.

It’s absurd that the largest city in the region forces truckers off highways and onto narrow arterials that snake through town. The spectacle of truckers tying up traffic as they make multiple attempts to turn their rigs screams “podunk!”

A freeway connecting U.S. 395 north of the city with Interstate 90 could turn a nerve-wracking 30- to 40-minute drive into a 10- to 12-minute breeze.

A section of that freeway, from Wandermere Road to Francis Avenue, is set to be completed by 2008, but another $1 billion or so will be needed to link the road to I-90.

The corridor has been on the books for more than 40 years because the state Legislature hasn’t fully understood its importance. Hence, funding has been parceled out piecemeal. The project also merits more federal government attention, because it will be a vital link for increased trade with Canada.

If state and federal budget writers get on board, the region could finally realize its economic potential as a transportation hub.

Spokane International Airport is working hard on projects that would improve cargo handling. Among other things, a new control tower is nearing completion and a runway extension is in the works.

A new freeway would dovetail with those enhancements.

The airport already boasts significantly lower air freight fees and fewer delays than its West Coast counterparts. And if freight business were to boom, the airport has room to expand.

The traditional view of a north-south freeway and airport expansion is that those projects would be good for Spokane. The tough sell has been what’s in it for everyone else.

Thanks to higher fuel costs and increasingly clogged highways, railroads and ports in Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, B.C., and the rest of the West Coast, others are beginning to see that it makes sense to link Spokane to the rest of the transportation chain.

The economic possibilities are exciting for the entire Inland Northwest, but the benefits would not end here.