For purposes of implementing the requirements of chapter 175, Laws of 1998, relative to the freight mobility strategic investment board, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) "Board" means the freight mobility strategic investment board (FMSIB).

(2) "Department" means the department of transportation.

(3) "Freight mobility" means the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of goods within and through the state to ensure the state's economic vitality.

(4) "Director" is the executive director of the freight mobility strategic investment board.

(5) "Local governments" means cities, towns, counties, special purpose districts, port districts, and any other municipal corporations or quasi-municipal corporations in the state excluding school districts.

(6) "Public entity" means a state agency, city, town, county, port district, or municipal or regional planning organization.

(7) "Partnership" means the public entities sponsoring a project. The partnership as used in this chapter does not include the board.

(8) "Lead agency" refers to the agency selected by the project partnership to be the point of contact with the board for a particular project.

(9) "Original matching ratio" refers to the board's share of the project cost when it was initially approved for funding.

(10) "Strategic freight corridor" means a transportation corridor of great economic importance within an integrated freight system that:

(a) Serves international and domestic interstate and intrastate trade;

(b) Enhances the state's competitive position through regional and global gateways;

(c) Carries freight tonnages of at least:

(i) Four million gross tons annually on state highways, city streets, and county roads;

(ii) Five million gross tons annually on railroads; or

(iii) Two and one-half million net tons on waterways; and

(d) Has been designated a strategic corridor by the board. However, new alignments to, realignments of, and new links to strategic corridors that enhance freight movement may qualify, even though no tonnage data exists for facilities to be built in the future.