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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Multimodal Freight Distribution & Economic Development due to International Capacity Expansion

This paper examined how international expansion may redistribute trade volumes across the intermodal system, including ports, waterways, railroads, and highways within the Midwest and US South regions. This research conducted capacity analysis of existing transportation infrastructures to identify the possibility of capacity expansion. It also conducted economic development analysis to quantify the economic growth due to the increased freights movement and handling in the potential sites. While developing the scenario based distribution model, this research focused on the top six Asian countries that contribute to 62% of the container imports. It also focused on the top 10 US ports and three more ports in the US that are critical to the study regions (Midwest and US South) of this research and 1 Canadian port which is also critical to the Midwest and US South regions. The economic development analysis was to quantify the projected economic growth due to the modeled change in freight movement and handling. Specifically this part of the study converts the expected change in freight tonnage (thousand metric tons of containers) per region from the transportation model component into measures of economic competitiveness. Overall, there appears to be little economic impact on Memphis-South and Port States regions from the Panama Canal and the Port of Prince Rupert expansions. This research found that some port states will have to adjust their source ports for imports, but the impact on the overall regional economies will be insignificant. However, Chicago-North and other states regions will have significant impacts from the Panama Canal and the Port of Prince Rupert expansions under all three scenarios. Based on the economic development models, this research found that many areas will see insignificant development and some areas will see the largest increase in traffic and are prime targets for intermodal development. The cities including Fargo, North Dakota; Joplin, Missouri; Meridian, Mississippi (MS); Bellevue, Nebraska; St. Cloud, Michigan; Farragut, Tennessee (TN); Goodlettsville, TN; Prattville, Alabama; East Ridge, TN; Effingham, Illinois; and Hattiesburg, MS are expected to see significant increases in freight volume so are potential locations for intermodal facility development. This research will provide decision makers with the information necessary to identify bottlenecks in the transportation network due to international capacity expansion and to identify/invest in targeted multimodal system improvements. This research will also provide communities, states, developers, and industry with the necessary information to assess potential freight routes, intermodal sites and growth potential for freight village development resulting from changes in intermodal freight flows.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Alternate title: Multimodal Freight Distribution and Economic Development due to International Capacity Expansion. This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AT045 Intermodal Freight Transport.
  • Corporate Authors:

    Transportation Research Board

    500 Fifth Street, NW
    Washington, DC  United States  20001
  • Authors:
    • Kim, Jaehoon
    • Anderson, Michael
    • Sarder, M D
    • Miller, Chad
  • Conference:
  • Date: 2015

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 16p
  • Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01554380
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 15-3088
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Feb 26 2015 9:49AM