NEW BEDFORD — Touted as a catalyst for economic development, South Coast Rail was recognized this week among 100 top development projects in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The project was voted one of the top three projects in the job creation category at the North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Washington D.C., according to Jean Fox, project manager for South Coast Rail. Fox pitched South Coast Rail as a project that will generate nearly half a billion dollars annually, increasing access to an isolated part of Massachusetts. Fox said the acknowledgement is one she will “take to the bank.”

The sixth annual forum was hosted by CG/LA Infrastructure, a Washington-based organization that seeks to boost investment in infrastructure.

Mayor Jon Mitchell said the recognition validates what the city already knows: South Coast Rail “holds tremendous promise as a catalyst for economic growth in Greater New Bedford."

“The rail project would compliment and indeed accelerate the economic development strategy that we’ve been pursuing, which is the focus on the city’s primary assets,” Mitchell said. "It would facilitate the development of the port, as well as the downtown, but it would also strengthen neighborhoods.”

Rep. Bill Straus, D-Mattapoisett, also applauded the news.

"I believe the national recognition received by South Coast Rail in the ranking of the job creation value is further evidence which should silence any remaining skeptics of the importance and value of this rail project for our region," Straus said in an email.

Follow Simón Rios on Twitter @simonfriosSCT