Triple-Bottom Line Assessment of Future Mississippi Intermodal Facility

The widely discussed Panama Canal Expansion is expected to be completed by 2015. This expansion will most likely increase the volume of freight passing through the Port of Gulfport due to its strategic location and close relation with the Panama Canal Authority. In 2011, Governor Haley Barbour supported creating a large transportation hub in South Mississippi to handle the above mentioned increase in container traffic generated by a $1 billion expansion of the Port of Gulfport. The proposed intermodal facility would help the massive State Port at Gulfport project that, if built out to plans, will have the annual potential to move over one million containers through Mississippi. The current annual container volume is around 200,000 containers. With this forecasted increase in container volume, an inland port can help relieve congestion at the Gulfport facility, efficiently stage containers for distribution, and reduce truck traffic in potential environmental non-attainment areas near the coast. Intermodal facilities and inland ports such as the one being proposed for South Mississippi have the potential to positively impact the Triple-Bottom Line (Environment, Economic Prosperity and Social Well-Being) of the State of Mississippi and the Gulf Region. The Triple-Bottom Line (TBL) approach of valuing people, planet, and profit is gaining popularity as an approach for leading organizations to make investment decisions. When applying the triple-bottom line to transportation infrastructure the three distinct, but linked outcomes of the investment are commonly measured by increased freight velocity (efficiency), improved air quality and reduced traffic congestion (environment), and economic development and safety (equity) . Despite the significant possible positive TBL impact of the development of these intermodal facilities, there are many problems or challenges to be faced during their planning, construction and operation. Currently, the proposed intermodal facility is in the concept phase and it is likely that it will face many of the common issues associated with a new intermodal development including project financing, comprehensive planning, design considerations, addressing citizen and community input, coordination with existing development plans, addressing asymmetry between the objectives of the railroads and the community, accommodating divergent interests of stakeholders, and dealing with a multitude of other problems that arise when new intermodal facilities are proposed. The objective of this research is to provide a document which can be used to assist MDOT planners, state policy-makers, and other stakeholders to make informed choices about the role, development, and management of an intermodal facility in South Mississippi which can foster economic development. This research provides information and analysis to facilitate the development of the optimal leadership strategy and organizational design for the intermodal facility that will make the private sector more competitive, create economic development, and benefit both the environment and the residents by providing and testing a best practices model developed through comparative benchmarking research.

• Record URL:
  https://dokumen.tips/download/link/final-report-ss-235-triple-bottom-line-assessment-mdotmsgovdocumentsresearchreportsinterim
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg

  School of Construction, 118 College Drive
  Hattiesburg, MS  United States  39406-0001

  University of Memphis

  Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute
  302 Engineering Administration, 3815 Central Avenue
  Memphis, TN  United States  38152

  Mississippi Department of Transportation

  Freight, Rail, Ports & Waterways Division, 401 North West Street
  Jackson, MS  United States  39201

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sulbaran, Tulio
  • Sarder, M D
  • Miller, Chad
  • Richard, Brian
  • Lipinski, Martin E
• Publication Date: 2013-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 165p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air quality; Container traffic; Economic development; Evaluation and assessment; Intermodal facilities; Intermodal transportation; Safety; Traffic congestion
• Identifier Terms: Panama Canal; Port of Gulfport
• Geographic Terms: Mississippi
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01495826
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Study No. 235
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Oct 18 2013 4:18PM