PLANNING SNAPSHOT 1 - Transportation Research Boardonlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/docs/NCHRP08... · PLANNING SNAPSHOT 1: NCHRP 8-36(120) ... data collection, and modeling is

FREIGHT PLANNING TODAYPLANNING SNAPSHOT 1:

NCHRP 8-36(120)

The NCHRP 8-36 Research Series has launched a series of planning snapshots designed to tell you a little about a lot of what is going in the planning world today.

These snapshots, each focused on a specific topic, aim to share innovative ideas, highlight best practices, and provide links to resources and contacts.

Freight Planning Is Moving Fast. Are You Up To Speed?To better understand the current state of freight planning, a survey of state DOTs and regional planning organizations was distributed on behalf of SCOP, AMPO, and NARC. Over 29 state DOTs, 31 MPOs, and 20 regional planning organizations responded – providing the insights and information shared here.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Where is freight planning focused and what priorities are emerging? For both DOTs and MPOs, the overall focus of freight plan-ning activities, data collection, and modeling is on highways and rail. The vast majority of goods move across this country by truck, so for many organizations the impacts of these movements on system capacity, congestion, and safety are top priorities. Fast-emerging priorities, such as better engaging business and industry in planning activities and evaluating freight and future modal shares from an energy perspective, are also beginning to be addressed. Looking at freight through the lens of economic development, trade, and logistics is a clear focus both now and in the future. Over the next 50 years, freight planning will have to address tough questions, including how to finance improvements; how to improve data; and how to integrate freight with other planning activities.

State DOTMPO and Regional

WHAT MATTERS MOST?

TOP 5 MOTIVATIONS TO CONSIDER FREIGHT ISSUES

EconomicDevelopment

Federal

Mandate Agency

Leadership System

Planning ProjectPlanning

Percent MPOs and RPOs

Percent State DOTs

46%

43%

32%

32%

DURATION OF FREIGHT PLANNING ACTIVITIES

2-5 years 1 year 5-9 years 10 years

Current Modal Focus 9 Highway routes and truck movements

9 Rail infrastructure, facilities, and movements

9 Intermodal connections and integrated logistics centers

9 Air cargo terminals, connections, and facilities

9 Oceangoing port facilities and dockside connections

9 Inland water routes and facilities

Top Priority Issues 9 Economic development and trade

9 Congestion or conflicts with other modes

9 Energy development and transportation

9 Financing freight improvements

9 Safety

9 Impacts of freight movement on other systems

9 Engaging private stakeholders

9 Commercial vehicle operations

Working with the private sector and involving industry representatives in decision-making and on advisory councils is a top concern for many planning organizations. The Florida DOT, in partnership with the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation and industry partners, recently completed “Made for Trade: Florida Trade and Logistics Study 2.0.” This follow-up study presents three major opportunities for Florida to grow its economy through international trade. The

report identifies transportation barriers to future freight flows and presents recommendations for future actions – including establishing a Freight and Logistics Institute. An earlier study resulted in millions of new investments in Florida’s seaports, airports, rail, and truck corridors in anticipation of the widening of the Panama Canal.

For more information, contact Juan Flores at 850.445.2859 or [email protected]

RESEARCH IN THE SPOTLIGHT

IN FOCUS

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – IOWA DOT

Freight High School

PLANNING SNAPSHOT 1:FREIGHT PLANNING TODAY

Think freight is only of interest to a small subset of DOT and MPO planners? Don’t tell that to Paul Trombino, Director of the Iowa DOT. Director Trombino thinks freight is so important that his department is pursuing a long list of freight initiatives. Take a look at what they’re doing. Move cursor over a topic of interest in the timeline to open a pop‑up box with more information. For more information, contact Craig O’Riley at 515.239.1520 or [email protected]

Partnering for Impact

Guidebook for Understanding Urban Goods Movement

Truck Drayage Productivity Guide

Guidebook for Developing Subnational Commodity Flow Data

Freight Demand Modeling and Data Improvement Strategic Plan

FreightAdvisoryCouncil

InternalFreight Team

FreightValue StreamMapping

Lock and DamFeasibility Study

FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan

Iowa Travel Demand Model Update

2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014

Iowa Rail Plan Update

2014

Freight NetworkOptimization

2014

Regional FreightCoordination(Ongoing)

2014

With looming workforce needs on the horizon and economic competitiveness on the line, an increasing number of states are engaging students directly in trade and transportation.

New York’s Urban Assembly School of Global Commerce developed a curriculum with input from the freight industry to better prepare students to enter the logistics workforce. Florida’s Columbia High School built a distribution warehouse on campus to provide students with real-world experience in logistics management.

The Florida DOT is also offering its employees training through a Freight and Logistics Academy to better plan for and develop facilities that meet the needs of trade-intensive industries.

For more information about Columbia High School, contact Rebecca Golden at [email protected]. For more information about FDOT’s freight programs, contact Annette Lapkowski at [email protected]

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php? record_id=14648

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php? record_id=14536

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/ 169330.aspx

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/ 167629.aspx





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

Practical approach to regional freight coordination and identification of MAASTO region’s Critical Commerce Corridors.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

Evaluates the freight network to identifying areas with potential for commercial and industrial development and prioritizes actions to optimize the network.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

Guides strategic investments in rail by evaluating opportunities and calculating the benefits. Generates rail profiles to identify business opportunities and incentive funding.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

Updated to better forecast rail freight movements and overall commodity movements.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

This plan identifies the primary freight network in Iowa and looks closely at future freight trends.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

This plan found that lack of investment in the Mississippi River freight system would result in an economic loss to the state.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

Makes information widely available on freight projects, plans, maps, data, tools, and contacts.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

This innovative research helps to understand the who, when, where, why, and what of freight movements.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

This multidisciplinary interagency group is tasked with improving freight planning and execution of freight policy.





FreightWebsite

Iowa Freight Plan


2012

2012

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014


2014


2014


2014

Public- and private-sector members from all modes. This group provide a forum for freight discussions and guide policy decision.

http://www.flchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/MadeForTrade-FINAL-Single-1.pdf

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169330.aspx


http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=14648










NCHRP 8-36(120)

TRENDING NOW

Just half of planning organizations currently report using freight performance measures. But with MAP-21 and a national emphasis on performance measurement, interest in determining freight metrics has never been greater. But what should and what can be measured? Measuring freight performance is a significant challenge given data constraints and shared responsibilities, but tracking measures can help identify needed improvements, monitor effectiveness of investments, and provide indicators for economic growth, congestion, or safety.

For helpful ideas on how to set performance measures for freight, see NCFRP Report 10, Performance Measures for Freight Transportation.

Acquiring Freight Data

Measuring Freight Performance

Freight data is used to identify bottlenecks, significant economic corridors, potential trouble locations, and to assess industry and intermodal facility needs for various facilities. But collecting data that is useful, timely, inexpensive, and sufficiently detailed is problematic. Most organizations rely on federal datasets but are unsatisfied with the level of detail, consistency, modal coverage, and interoperability of these data. Commercial data is available and does address some of these issues, but data purchases are costly and often require ongoing support. Increasingly, organizations are looking at real-time or crowdsource data to fill important gaps in coverage.

Check out FHWA’s Freight Planning page for commonly used freight data sources and check out the Freight Data Sharing Guidebook for information on private freight data.

Ability to plan and forecast freight at regional/local levels

Identifying alternative funding mechanisms

Overcoming modal silos and expanding capabilities

Sharing best practices for active involvement

Prioritizing based on economic return

Improving data availability and applicability

Sharing best practices for active involvement

Elevating the importance of freight plans

Financing Freight Improvements

Regional, Corridor, or Project Planning

Coordinating with Stakeholders

Analyzing Freight Data

Identifying and Evaluating Projects

Dedicated Freight Planning Staff

Providing Technical Assistance

Convening Advisory Committees

Key Elements of Today’s Freight Planning Programs Ranked by Survey Response

Desired Enhancements and Future Research NeedsIdentified by Survey Respondents

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/ncfrp/ncfrp_rpt_010.pdf



http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/

http://www.trb.org/FreightTransportation/Blurbs/169010.aspx

http://www.trb.org/FreightTransportation/Blurbs/169010.aspx

Acknowledgement of Sponsorship This work was sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 08‑36, Task 120, which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies.

Disclaimer The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board or its sponsors. The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This document is not a report of the Transportation Research Board or of the National Research Council.

BRIGHT IDEAS

PennDOT is currently working on a statewide project prioritization tool that will be based on a newly defined multimodal economic competitiveness network. Through their long-range planning process, PennDOT recognized that viewing the transportation system from both megaregional, statewide, and international perspectives was critical for supporting the state’s economy. When complete, this network will identify connections for moving people and freight across the state and linking businesses and residents to national and international destinations.

For more information, contact Brian Hare at 717.783.9359 or [email protected]

CONTACT

So much freight data, so little usable information. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission developed the PhillyFreightFinder to make freight information more accessible. The program is a dynamic, web-based mapping application that pinpoints freight facilities and freight activity. The application also demon-strates how the various freight system components intertwine and complement one another.

For more information, contact Michael Ruane, Transportation Planner, at 215.238.2888 or [email protected]

The ability to finance future freight improvements is a top concern for planning organizations. Public-private partnerships, alternative dedicated funding sources, and competitive state grant programs are being used to meet these needs. ConnectOregon is a lottery bond initiative that provides a source of funds for air, rail, marine, transit, and bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. Recently, this program has made over $42 million available for needed investments in nonhighway modes. The program has had tremendous impacts on the state’s ability to fund valuable freight projects.

For more information, contact Chris Cummings at 503.986.3703 or [email protected]

Thinking Strategically

Making Freight Visible

Funding Improvements

Statewide Freight Planning ► Barbara Ivanov, Freight Systems Director, Washington State DOT 360.705.7931 [email protected]

► Bill Gardner, Director, Freight, Rail, and Waterways, Minnesota DOT 651.366.3665 [email protected]

► Chris Smith, Intermodal Policy Program Manager, AASHTO 202.624.5839 [email protected]

Freight Outreach ► Crystal Jones, FHWA Freight Program Delivery Team Leader 202.366.2976 [email protected]

► Caroline Mays, AICP, Freight Planning Coordinator, Texas DOT 512.486.5059 [email protected]

► Tom McQueen, Assistant State Planning Administrator, Georgia DOT 404.631.1785 [email protected]

Freight Performance Measures ► Nicole Katsikides, FHWA Freight Performance Measures Program Manager 202.366.6993 [email protected]

► Debbie Bowden, Motor Carrier and Logistics Policy Advisor 410.865.1094 [email protected]

Freight Data ► Ed Strocko, FHWA Freight Analysis and Research Team Leader 202.366.2997 [email protected]

► Peter Bang, FHWA Freight Analysis Framework Program Manager 202.366.2317 | [email protected]

Regional Freight Planning ► Ted Dahlburg, Manager of the Office of Freight and Aviation Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission 215.238.2844 [email protected]

► Howard Mann, Manager, Freight Planning Unit, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council 212.383.2530 | [email protected]

http://www.paontrack.com/

http://www.dvrpc.org/webmaps/phillyfreightfinder/

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP/pages/connector.aspx

Documents

PLANNING SNAPSHOT 1 - Transportation Research Boardonlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/docs/NCHRP08... · PLANNING SNAPSHOT 1: NCHRP 8-36(120) ... data collection, and modeling is