Realigning Multimodal Freight Networks in Response to International Capacity Expansion

The widely discussed Panama Canal expansion project is expected to be completed by 2014. Following that expansion, container flows for imports and exports will likely shift to eastern and Gulf coast ports and the increased freight volumes may strain the already congested intermodal transportation system. This project will examine how expansion of the Panama Canal may redistribute trade volumes across the intermodal system, including ports, waterways, railroads, and highways. This research will assess potential effects of the Canal’s expansion on the freight networks in the South and Midwest and identify rational strategies for the nation’s multimodal network in response to this international capacity expansion. A promising opportunity for gaining economic competitiveness is the freight village concept. Freight villages and global logistics parks are planned distribution, logistics, and warehousing communities built around intermodal hubs with the expectation of exogenous and endogenous growth. However, partners at the University of Memphis and the University of Southern Mississippi have shown that not all intermodal facilities are significant job creators and that the reasons for different economic impacts need to be better understood.

• Record URL:
  https://midamericafreight.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FR_CFIRE_RI06_FinalReport.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE)

  University of Wisconsin, Madison
  1415 Engineering Drive, 2205 Engineering Hall
  Madison, WI  United States  53706

  Department of Transportation

  Office of the Secretary of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sarder, M D
  • Miller, Chad
  • Sulbaran, Tulio
  • Holt, David
  • Golias, Mihalis
  • Anderson, Mike
  • Mohammadian, Kouros
  • Stewart, Richard
  • Islam, Samantha
• Publication Date: 2016-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 225p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Container traffic; Economic impacts; Freight traffic; Highways; Intermodal facilities; Intermodal transportation; Logistics; Multimodal transportation; Port capacity; Ports; Railroads; Waterways
• Identifier Terms: Panama Canal
• Subject Areas: Highways; Marine Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Terminals and Facilities; I70: Traffic and Transport;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01592006
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CFIRE RI-06
• Files: BTRIS, UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 29 2016 4:54PM