Regional Solutions for a Regional Issue
freight modes

Current Projects

 

Like the freight transportation system, MVFC projects keep rolling along until they meet their goals and objectives. The following projects dealing with multi-modal freight planning and traffic congestion and safety issues remain under study:

 

Freight Planning Guidebook for medium and large Metropolitan Planning Organizations [webpage]

MVFC has produced an online draft of a freight planning guidebook based on telephone interviews and online survey responses from state DOTs and various metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that deal with freight-related concerns. Survey results indicate that most MPOs place a high priority on transportation planning and the importance of freight in that process. The freight planning guidebook will describe current MVFC agency practices and recommend effective tools and strategies for state DOTs and MPOs.

Strategies for Addressing Multimodal Freight Bottlenecks [webpage]

The interactive Web survey method has also been used as a data collection tool to determine ways to alleviate freight bottlenecks that slow freight and passenger traffic, presenting safety and air quality risks as well as affecting the freight economy. Researchers have been compiling data on the conditions of freight bottlenecks to identify and rank the most serious locations in the Midwest region. The ranking system and freight stakeholder input will help formulate strategies for bottleneck alleviation. Researchers also collected 100 responses from truckers at three trucking events and have reviewed existing research. A final report is expected in mid-2009.

Regional Truckers’ Traffic Information Clearinghouse [webpage]

MVFC research is also dedicated to applying state-of-the-art technology to provide real-time travel information to passenger vehicle operators and commercial motor carriers to make roadway transportation safer, more reliable, and more efficient. The traffic information clearinghouse project would result in online access to current traffic information such as congestion, accidents, or other delays and allow users to choose alternative routes using Web-based maps. Researchers continue to meet weekly to conduct and review surveys from transportation planners, motor carriers, and other stakeholders to construct the clearinghouse network. A report is due out in March 2009.

MVFC Outreach Materials

 

Develop Regional Recommendations for Reauthorization [webpage]

This effort should build on an earlier effort by the MVFC to agree on broad concepts and prepare testimony for the National Surface Transportation Revenue and Policy Commission. That testimony, which was delivered in the spring of 2007 by Kirk Steudle (MDOT) and Teresa Adams (UW-Madison), raised a number of issues that should also be evaluated in the context of reauthorization:

- Adequate investment in the total freight transportation system.

- The need for a freight specific revenue source that can be used for both highway and non-highway infrastructure.

- The need for strong national leadership in defining freight systems and investment policies.

- The need for new institutional arrangements that will facilitate national transportation systems that cross state lines and include private interests.

- The need for an integrated, multi-modal freight transportation system.

- The need for a national rail policy.

- The need to invest in maritime (Great Lakes and river) transportation facilities.

- Performance measures were not discussed in the initial testimony, but the Commission work made it clear that the topic must be included.

Transportation Profiles for MVFC Commodities [webpage]

The freight network within the MVFC region carries in needed materials and products from outside the region, ships out the regional products to their markets, and carries through traffic across this MVFC region. Recent discussions have explored possibilities of altering size and weight restrictions for the trucking community. For freight planning, it is critical to know the shipping processes of major commodities into and out of our MVFC region in terms of their origin/destination, mode choices, cost characteristics, and their requirements on transportation in terms of time, reliability and cost. By knowing all these characteristics, we will have a sound starting point for the multiple state freight planners to collaborate as freight does not respect state boundaries. This project will focus on outbound traffic of products grown or manufactured in the MVFC region. A select number of agricultural and industrial products will be used to demonstrate the routes in this region. This project will develop common profiles for the region with respect to commodities.

Performance Measures for Evaluating Multi-state Projects [webpage]

This work will build upon performance measured being identified and used for multi-state alliances and interstate corridor projects. This includes, but is not limited to, the Northwest Passage and Lake Michigan Interstate Gateway Alliance activities. The project will explore the transferability of the performance indicators across different multi-state efforts and recommendations for establishing performance measures for multi-state freight projects.

 

It will also use the work being done for AASTHO on possible national reauthorization measures to define measures that are appropriate for regional freight projects.

 

The measures themselves and the problems associated with finding good and consistent data across the region will probably be very similar to the measures and the problems being considered by AASHTO in looking at national measures. Speed, reliability and safety will likely rise to the top of the attributes to be measured. Rendering measures of those attributes in economic terms may also be a common challenge. Therefore, working with those in AASHTO who are doing this national work makes much sense.

 

What may set this regional effort apart is the need to define impacts in regional terms and attribute those impacts to specific states, or regions within states.

Critical Sections and Resiliency of Freight Corridors in the Mississippi Valley Region