Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program
— Peer Exchange Report —
Atlanta Regional Commission and
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Peer-to-Peer Exchange
Sharing Successes ... Building Visions: Freight Peer Exchange
| Location: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Date: |
January 18-20, 2005 |
| Exchange Host Agency: |
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC, Philadelphia, Camden, and Trenton's MPO) and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC, Atlanta's MPO) |
| Exchange Participants: |
ARC Baltimore Metropolitan Council DVRPC Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia FHWA Divisions FHWA Resource Center Georgia Department of Transportation Georgia Institute of Technology Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce MacKavanagh Railroad Consulting Macon Economic Development Commission Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce New Jersey Department of Transportation Pennsylvania Department of Transportation URS Corp. U.S. DOT Volpe Center |
I. Summary
This Peer-to-Peer Exchange was held as part of the Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) Program, which is jointly sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) co-hosted the event. ARC is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Atlanta metropolitan area. DVRPC serves the same role for the Philadelphia/Camden/Trenton region. The Georgia FHWA Division submitted the application for the event with a goal of helping ARC learn to better integrate freight planning into the overall transportation planning process and to improve its freight planning capacity. ARC asked the DVRPC to host the event so that ARC could observe a quarterly meeting of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force.
Figure 1: Freight Peer Exchange participants
The Peer Exchange took place over two days. The first day began with a federal overview of the role of freight in the transportation reauthorization bill. Sessions then focused on state and regional level freight challenges and initiatives. The afternoon of the first day was spent on a field trip to visit three South Philadelphia freight sites. The second day opened with presentations from the local chambers of commerce in Philadelphia and Atlanta. Then the participants attended a quarterly meeting of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force. ARC gave a guest presentation during this meeting. The Peer Exchange ended with a "lessons learned" session in the afternoon of the second day.
II. Background
Freight Planning is an issue that is often overlooked in the transportation planning process. This Peer-to-Peer exchange was convened so that representatives of both the public and private sectors from Georgia could observe the Philadelphia region's successes with the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force. ARC has recently formed its own freight task force and is looking to the DVRPC for ways to bring important freight stakeholders to the table in the Atlanta region. This Peer Exchange focused on how to develop a successful freight task force within the MPO structure and how to better integrate freight into the regional transportation planning process.III. Federal Perspectives
FHWA, Carlos Gonzalez (Transportation Planner, Georgia Division)The exchange began with a presentation of the Federal perspective on freight planning. The presentation focused on the various reauthorization proposals and how the new transportation bill might address freight and freight planning. Participants were directed to the following URL to view a full comparison of the proposals: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/sidebyside/22freight.htm.
A few highlights of the Administration's Proposal are as follows:
- Section 1205 would focus on Freight Transportation Gateways (Gateways), a program whose purpose is to institutionalize freight considerations and needs and increase investments for freight improvements.
- States would be required to designate a freight coordinator who would be responsible for fostering public and private collaboration in regional solutions to freight transportation and freight gateway problems.
IV. State Freight Initiatives
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the New Jersey department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) all presented during the second session of the Peer Exchange. Each state focused on its own freight initiatives and gave background about their respective state's involvement with MPOs and freight task forces.PennDOT, Edwin (Ran) Marshall (Freight Transportation Planning Manager)
The state of Pennsylvania is a hub for freight movement. It is within a 1-day drive of 47% of the U.S. market and 60% of the Canadian market. National issues that concern PennDOT include the projected increase in freight volumes versus a lack of adequate freight planning and funding, and weak intermodal linkages. These issues threaten American economic competitiveness. Regional issues facing Philadelphia include highway congestion and a constrained regional rail system caused by the age of the system.
Pennsylvania
PennDOT's response to the freight challenges it faces is three-fold: PennDOT has designated intermodalism as a high level goal; PennDOT provides training to its staff and its planning partners on "non-traditional" multi-modal and intermodal issues; and PennDOT seeks to facilitate resolution of local, regional and statewide freight issues. PennDOT's training course tries to promote intermodal and multi-modal planning and increase outreach to freight partners.- 3 Class 1 Railroads
- 23 Planning Agencies
- 67 Counties
- 205 Properties served by rail freight
- $28.5 million provided by PennDOT for rail freight maintenance and construction
PennDOT also has a Modal Integration Work Group whose mission is to promote understanding, awareness and benefits of modal integration and to develop processes to improve overall transportation efficiency.
PennDOT sees DVRPC as a great example of integrating freight into the planning process. DVRPC has a freight task force that has input into the planning process and it considers non-traditional projects.
GDOT, Tom McQueen (Branch Chief, Office of Planning)
The Port of Georgia in Savannah is the 6th largest container port in the Unites States. GDOT's Central Georgia Corridor Study focusing on population trends, employment trends, freight movement, and transportation infrastructure, showed that the majority of freight in the Central Georgia Corridor arrives and departs via truck. The largest single types of commodities both inbound and outbound are in the warehouse/distribution category, primary forest materials, kaolin (a fine clay used in ceramics and refractories and as a filler or coating for paper and textiles), and cement and agricultural products.
GDOT's Interstate System Plan has as its goal to protect and maintain the interstate system to fully serve the needs of Georgia now and in the future. Because the interstate system is built out, the primary goal of this plan is maintenance of the existing facilities. There are four categories of deficiencies that have been identified: congestion; safety; system preservation; and connectivity. While Georgia interstates already carry a large number of vehicles, vehicle travel is expected to increase in the future. By 2035, while the population of the state is expected to increase 44%, daily travel on Georgia interstates is expected to rise 129% and daily commercial vehicle travel should increase by 185%. The Interstate System Plan calls for a number of methods including the Governor's Road Improvement Program (GRIP) to help alleviate the projected strain on Georgia's interstates. The Interstate System Plan focuses on the relationship between commercial vehicles and crashes, especially as truck freight traffic is projected to increase by the largest amount of any mode in the future.
GDOT is currently updating its Statewide Transportation Plan and has (for the first time) decided to develop a State Freight Plan as a separate, and more comprehensive, stand-alone document. Because freight is also a large focus of the Statewide Transportation Plan Update GDOT wants to make sure all freight issues discussed in both documents complement each other. Consequently, both products are being closely coordinated with an expected completion at the end of 2005. GDOT has several other freight-focused initiatives including a Metro Atlanta truck movement study; a freight guidebook and datasets; and in-house studies that identify truck movements, intermodal terminals and access.
NJDOT, Eric Powers (Freight Planner, Division of Transportation Systems Planning)
New Jersey faces many current challenges and opportunities with respect to freight movement including: large growth in the goods movement sector coupled with existing infrastructure deficiencies; safety and security initiatives; funding strategies and economic development; and public understanding of good movement issues and interrelationships. In New Jersey, local governments control land use and therefore have a large impact on freight. The presentation focused mainly on the New Jersey Statewide Freight Plan and the Logistics Council. The statewide freight plan has the following goals:
- Examine key freight/ logistics issues from a systems perspective: Assess issues, constraints, and opportunities;
- Increase understanding of goods movement in New Jersey and the supporting infrastructure, in other words: tell the "freight story" clearly;
- Recommend policies, strategies, and actions;
- Provide data, analysis and insight to assist decision makers — not just for transportation but land use, economic development, employment, etc.; and
- Improve coordination between public and private entities and build a strong foundation for future collaboration and implementation.
- A Freight Plan Advisory Board consisting of NJDOT, NJ MPOs, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), FHWA, New Jersey Transit (NJTransit), and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ);
- A Freight Plan Management Committee consisting of NJDOT, NJTransit, MPOs, FHWA, PANYNJ, New Jersey Office of Smart Growth (NJOSG), and NJ Turnpike Authority
- A Logistics Council consisting of government and private sector industry representatives
- Input from other public and private stakeholders
As of January 2005, NJDOT had several parts of the freight plan still left to complete with the final plan scheduled for completion in April 2005. Before completion, a draft will be presented to the guidance agencies listed above as well as designated stakeholders. After a final review period the final document will be published.
The next part of the presentation focused on the logistics council, which includes representatives from both the public and private sectors. NJDOT created the logistics council for several important reasons. Primarily, it wanted an ongoing forum to identify priority issues, broaden perspectives, build consensus, and agree on actions. The charge of the logistics council is as follows: Develop a prioritized action plan delivering tangible benefits to New Jersey citizens and businesses that addresses major challenges facing goods movement in the state. The logistics council first met in June 2003 and has had two subsequent meetings. The council has divided into subcommittees, produced a report identifying priority issues, and formed an extended hours task force. Some of the priority issues are the concern about using all modes for goods movement and maximizing the potential for profitable adoption of extended hours of operations.
Question and Answer Session
There were a number of points made in the question and answer session as follows. PennDOT related that talking to different groups and offering training is a good way to get "buy in" on freight plans. One important question that was addressed to all three DOTs was: How do state DOTs interact with MPOs to make sure planning is the same on both the state and local levels?
- PennDOT
- PennDOT is currently working to incorporate MPO plans into state plans
- PennDOT has had meetings with all MPOs and rural planning organizations (RPOs) to get their support
- PennDOT also has outreach to counties and has worked to integrate transportation and freight in comprehensive county plans
- GDOT
- GDOT has struggled to work with smaller MPOs especially as the state's number of MPOs increased from 11 to 15 after the 2000 Census
- GDOT has worked with the Savannah/Brunswick MPO to put important freight projects in their Statewide Transportation Plan
- NJDOT
- New Jersey has only three MPOs.
- The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) is a small MPO and does not have dedicated freight planning staff.
- NJDOT works with DVRPC, but NJDOT doesn't have a unified freight agenda yet. This will come with the statewide freight plan this year.
- The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority is part of the New York City region and its freight related issues are extremely complex and different from the other two MPOs.
- New Jersey has only three MPOs.
V. Regional Freight Initiatives
ARC and DVRPC both presented general background on their respective regions and on the development of their most recent long-range transportation plan. Both MPOs also discussed their freight task forces in detail.DVRPC, Don Shanis (Assistant Executive Director) and Ted Dahlburg (Manager, Office of Freight Planning)
Background: DVRPC was created in 1965 and comprises 2 states, 9 counties and 353 municipalities. The DVRPC region has a diverse economy with strengths in many areas including academic resources, research and development activities, high-tech / biomedical companies, an extensive transit network, historic and cultural amenities and an international freight gateway. The DVRPC area's population is just over 5 million currently and is forecast to grow slowly over the next 20 years. Land development has far outpaced population growth over the last 30 years. Commuting patterns have become more varied with the largest numbers commuting from suburb to suburb. Along with this trend, driving alone to work has increased as the largest share of commuters, while every other mode has decreased its share over the last 20 years. Funding in the TIP is split about evenly between transit and highway projects in the DVRPC region.
The initial focus of DVRPC's 2030 plan was to examine five what-if scenarios for the region: urban center repopulates; sprawl accelerates; in-migration increases; out-migration increases; and DVRPC's 2025 plan meets expectations. DVRPC's 2025 plan was the most reasonable alternative in terms of combining what was likely to happen and what the region can afford to support.
The 2030 plan focuses on three key policy issues: land use planning policies, economic development policies, and transportation planning policies. DVRPC plans to focus more on the relationship between freight and land use and how distribution and land use affect each other. Under economic development the plan addresses the upgrade of the region's infrastructure.
As DVRPC completes the 2030 plan, there are several guiding tenets.
- First, the plan will link economic development, land use, and transportation;
- Second, it will work with other stakeholders by coordinating and building upon efforts already underway in the region;
- Third, it will better incorporate operations (e.g. ITS) and have more emphasis on safety; and
- Finally, it will try to balance aspirations and constraints.
DVRPC's Freight Plans and Initiatives: Under TEA-21, MPO freight priorities were international border crossings, access to intermodal facilities, major distribution routes, and formalized coordination with freight shippers and carriers. The DVRPC freight advisory committee (FAC) serves as one method for the DVRPC to address these concerns and has specifically focused on the coordination with shippers and carriers. DVRPC's FAC has experienced increased attendance in recent years up to almost 60 attendees per meeting. FAC members and guests include: carriers, shippers, economic development agencies, member governments, adjacent regions, federal agencies, and consultants. Below is the organization chart of the DVRPC FAC:
The co-chairs of the DVRPC FAC provide leadership and overall direction; demonstrate the importance assigned to freight; assure agency-wide commitment; and promote collaboration between DVRPC, PennDOT, and NJDOT. PennDOT and NJDOT take turns as the co-chair of the FAC while the DVRPC remains a constant co-chair. The FAC subcommittees are tasked with spearheading private sector FAC participation; providing freight input and support for MPO initiatives; acting on behalf of the full FAC; and communicating member news. DVRPC has a designated freight facilitator who has the following duties: mobilizing MPO resources; providing a focal point for the freight community; demonstrating institutional commitment; and representing the agency at external functions and outside the region. DVRPC has identified a number of key ingredients to orchestrating successful FAC meetings. Quarterly meeting dates are established a year in advance and all have a recurring format. There is a half hour for coffee at the beginning, followed by DVRPC business, State DOT business, guest presenters, 2-minute reports and finally lunch is served. Between quarterly meetings, DVRPC maintains communication with member through extensive mailing and email lists. At the quarterly FAC meetings, DVRPC generally presents relevant information including updates on its long range plan, TIP, Work Program, management systems, corridor studies, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and travel modeling and forecasting.
DVRPC stresses four types of activities to strengthen the FAC: technical products, special events, constituent services, and participation in the larger freight community. Some of the technical products that DVRPC offers to the FAC are a freight photo gallery, a transportation construction bulletin, intermodal container case study, TIP highlights, NHS connector evaluations, and organized field views. DVRPC also offers a number of constituent services such as production of maps and aerials, quick-fix projects, speech writing, technical reviews, notifications by phone and e-mail, awards and letters of recognition, and job referrals. DVRPC also participates in the larger freight community through attendance at meetings of many organizations including the local Traffic Club, Consular offices, adjacent regions, State DOT FACs, industry associations, the I-95 Corridor Coalition, and the Transportation Research Board.
In the last two rounds of conducting the competitive Congestion Management and Air Quality (CMAQ) selection process, the FAC has received advanced notice about the CMAQ funding process and how to participate. This advance notice is another way the FAC is included in the overall DVRPC planning process. In 2003, $2.7 million was allocated in CMAQ funding for freight projects and the FAC has also recommended a number of studies that have been funded. The DVRPC sees future opportunity for its FAC in a number of areas. The FAC will look to promote safety programs and increase outreach to the trucking industry. Increased involvement with the DVRPC transportation technical advisory committee is another goal of the FAC. Finally, the FAC will endeavor to advance strategies from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 33-12: "Integrating Freight Facilities and Operations with Community Goals."
ARC, Jane Hayse (Transportation Planning Division Chief) and Caroline Marshall (Principal Planner)
Background: The Georgia General Assembly formed ARC in 1971 as a state-designated Regional Development Center (RDC). ARC is also the federally recognized MPO for the Atlanta region. After the 2000 Census, the Atlanta region expanded from 10 counties to 18 counties. For air quality purposes, ARC covers 20 counties. The Atlanta region currently has about 3.7 million residents and 1.9 million jobs. Employment is diverse with 31% in the service sector, 24% in trade, and 9% in manufacturing. The Atlanta region is a major goods and services distribution hub. ARC forecasts that the region will continue to grow quickly and reach a population of 6 million by 2030 with 4.2 million jobs. The region faces a number of regional challenges including congestion on key radial and suburban corridors; mobility and safety for people and freight; freight and goods movement; and truck traffic on the highways.
ARC's planning process is a combination of top-down and bottom-up planning. The process begins with a determination of regional needs. ARC evaluates regional transportation infrastructure and solicits local input as part of the needs determination. Task forces help identify needs for freight and goods movement as well as Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and bike and pedestrian modes. Needs are also determined through various planning studies from ARC, GDOT, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and local jurisdictions. ARC has transportation technical and policy committees whose representatives include each county, the city of Atlanta, GDOT, Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), and MARTA. The local governments and planning partners are the ones who identify their own priorities that must fit within the regional vision, policies, goals, and objectives. Counties, cities, and other municipalities work to create priorities through comprehensive transportation plans.
ARC has nine different planning teams that work together to create the Regional Transportation Plan. The plan focuses on standards, an integrated transportation system, efficient land uses, and conforming to federal air quality standards. ARC's current plan is the Mobility 2030 Regional Transportation Plan. The plan focuses on five systems: Freeway and Cross-regional; HOV/Managed Lanes; Transit; Smart Corridors — System Optimizers; and Bicycle and Pedestrian. The 2030 plan includes an Aspirations Plan for what ARC would like to see happen to address regional needs and a constrained plan that shows what is possible given the available funds. The aspirations plan has the following benefits:
- It invests 46% of total capital investment in the top 20 most congested corridors
- It provides annual congestion savings of $479 per person
- It increases transit ridership by 72%
- It increases HOV lane usage by 275%
- It employs traffic management and technology to decrease delays, increase speeds and reduce crashes.
Freight Planning in the Atlanta Region: Freight is the fastest growing segment of travel in the Atlanta region and affects congestion, land use, mobility and safety. Trucking related accidents have a disproportionately high effect on travel reliability. Atlanta plays an increasing role in the national freight network while at the same time there is an increasing focus on freight at the federal level.
It is important to address freight concerns in the Atlanta region because freight movement plays a key role in economic development decisions. Freight movement is an important component of the regional transportation system and ARC is focused on integrating it into the regional transportation planning process.
The Atlanta region is the fourth largest warehousing region in the nation. Freight arrives in Atlanta mostly by truck but with a significant rail proportion. Freight leaves Atlanta overwhelming by truck (92.7%). Interstates are the primary truck corridors with some arterials playing a prominent role in goods movement. The Norfolk Southern Yard in Austell (west of Atlanta) is the largest intermodal yard east of the Mississippi River with over 3,000 spaces for containers. The Atlanta region also has a CSX intermodal yard that is planning to expand.
ARC has addressed freight issues in the region in large part by forming a freight advisory task force in 2003. The DVRPC helped advise ARC in the formation of the task force. Membership comprises public and private sector freight representatives. The members include: railroad, airport, chamber of commerce, Georgia port, GDOT, community improvement districts, consultants, local governments, and federal agencies. The task force meets quarterly and is chaired by a CSX railroad executive. ARC has a designated freight planner who provides on-going support for the task force; develops work plans; develops agendas and meeting summaries; schedules meetings; and acts as a liaison with other agencies. The main purpose of the task force is to provide input to the planning process and the development of the Mobility 2030 plan. It is also to identify freight mobility needs and prioritize freight transportation needs. The goals of the task force are as follows:
- Improve goods and services movement in the region
- Improve reliability of goods movement
- Minimize the cost of goods movement
- Improve characteristics of the transportation system for freight movement
The ARC freight task force helps determine how freight projects are incorporated into the TIP and RTP. The most important criteria are that the projects meet the overall goals and objectives of the plan and that safety concerns are taken into consideration. ARC's project submittal form includes specific freight related questions such as what percentage of truck traffic is on a primary or secondary road. Other RTP and TIP project evaluation criteria that consider freight movement include:
- Accommodation of multiple modes including freight
- Connectivity with multiple jurisdictions and priority areas such as major freight generators
- Compatibility with comprehensive transportation and land use plans
- Community support
- Cost effectiveness
- Local financial commitment
- Environmental justice
- Regional equity
- ADA requirements Addressing existing gaps, bottlenecks, and safety
Question and Answer Session
A question was raised as to whether elected officials are present at freight task force or advisory committee meetings. Generally, they are not, although they do attend occasionally. PennDOT discussed Pittsburgh's MPO and how it includes elected officials as chairs of the freight subcommittees.
Discussion turned to DVRPC's successes with its FAC. DVRPC has been able to keep the freight community involved with its FAC and has received funding from the DVRPC Board. DVRPC has kept the FAC fun and energetic and has given members and guests a reason to continue attending by giving them a voice in the planning process. The DVRPC FAC has successful methods of building consensus. Members of the FAC have learned about and applied for Federal CMAQ funding for certain freight projects. One example of a FAC success story was when truckers brought up a safety concern about a dangerous turn. The turning radius was altered as a result through a PennDOT maintenance project. Another success is that the MPO and state DOTs are at the FAC together and therefore different funding streams can be discussed. This entices the freight community to attend. Another positive part of DVRPC's FAC is the commitment of top officials to attend the quarterly meeting. The executive director of DVRPC and a PennDOT deputy secretary officiate the meetings. DVRPC has also designated subcommittees. These meet on an as-needed basis outside of the quarterly FAC meetings.
VI. Freight Facility Tours
During the first day of the peer exchange, participants toured three sites in the Delaware Valley's major distribution hub of South Philadelphia. Some of the attributes of the freight network in the Delaware Valley are as follows:- It is the 5th ranked U.S. port in terms of tonnage
- It has 3 Class I railroads and 10 short lines
- It has the 14th ranked North American airport in terms of tonnage
- There are 11 freight villages/intermodal facilities
- Mustin Field Rail Yard (host: Norfolk Southern)
As a result of the 2002 DVRPC Competitive CMAQ Program, $923,000 in CMAQ funds are programmed for rail improvements for a new intermodal terminal at the former Philadelphia Navy Yard. The new facility is one of the projects planned by the city and state to redevelop the Navy Yard into a viable economic site. The project goal is to eliminate long distance truck trips from interstate highways and local Philadelphia streets by converting trips to rail. The primary project objective is to rebuild 2.1 miles of track. The initial estimate is a diversion of 150 over-the-road trucks daily from area roadways.
One of the region's congressionally mandated "demonstration" projects is the construction of a new roadway and new bridge at the eastern end of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This project is essentially an extension of Old Delaware Avenue. The new roadway will provide access to new freight distribution facilities under construction or planned, and affords an attractive alternative to the heavily traveled Broad Street entrance. The total project cost is $3,975,000, of which $3.1M is demonstration funding. Various roadway alignments are now under review, and construction is slated for 2006. - Food Distribution Facility (host: Brooks Provisions)
As a result of the 2002 DVRPC Competitive CMAQ Program, $200,000 in CMAQ funds are programmed for construction of a railroad boxcar-to-truck Cross Dock Transfer Terminal for transloading frozen/refrigerated food in the Philadelphia Food Distribution Center. The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) sponsored the project with the goal to eliminate long distance truck trips from interstate highways and local Philadelphia streets by converting trips to rail boxcars. Using a newly constructed dock built especially to accommodate frozen or refrigerated goods, cargo would be transloaded from rail boxcars onto trucks for delivery to customers who lack sidings for direct rail access. - Packer Avenue Marine Terminal (host: Philadelphia Regional Port Authority)
As a result of the 2002 DVRPC Competitive CMAQ Program, $336,000 in CMAQ funds are programmed for construction improvements to modernize the current gate structure, and to purchase and install software and hardware to automate the gate process at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. Truck idling time will be reduced as vehicles enter and exit. Truck processing time and congestion in the terminal and on access roads will be reduced using automated equipment for surveillance, security, remote processing, and help/problem resolution.
VII. Day 2 Opening Remarks
The second day began with opening remarks from the facilitator and a recap of the first day. ARC was interested in how to improve attendance at their task force meetings and how to work with GDOT on freight initiatives. PennDOT explained that it has a rail freight advisory committee with 17 gubernatorially appointed members. PennDOT would like to have the other Pennsylvania MPOs maintain FACs, but as of now DVRPC is the only MPO with a FAC. Participants from the DVRPC group explained that serving lunch at FAC meetings helps with attendance and allows meetings or discussions to last longer if guests realize lunch is provided directly afterwards.GDOT said that a state level freight advisory committee is being considered. ARC could be brought in to work on such a committee. A state freight committee would deal with state level policy while ARC would handle specific freight projects at the local level.
ARC asked how rail freight projects get onto the TIP. PennDOT explained that there is a centralized rail freight process for the mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, Federal CMAQ funding is available for rail freight projects in Pennsylvania. State and MPO relationships are different in each state. PennDOT suggested that ARC and GDOT should meet and determine how best to work together on freight issues.
Figure 3: Freight Peer Exchange participants discuss freight business opportunities
VIII. Business Opportunities
A special feature of the exchange was to highlight the link between economic development and the freight transportation network. Both Atlanta's and Philadelphia's Chamber of Commerce presented during the morning of the second day.MACOC, Bob Pertierra (VP Logistics Industry Development)
The Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (MACOC) focuses on economic development and public policy within the Atlanta region. Logistics falls under MACOC's economic development focus, as the Atlanta region is one of the strongest and fastest growing logistics clusters in the nation. Metro Atlanta ranks fifth in the nation in transportation and logistics employment with more than 2,000 firms, 84,000 jobs and an average employee salary of $54,000. Georgia was recently ranked as the best state for logistics because of its air, ground, rail and sea facilities as well as corporate logistics centers and intellectual capital. MACOC has also identified some of the Atlanta region's weaknesses as follows: infrastructure utilization/connectivity, collaboration, environmental concerns, strategy for using the airport (the area's strongest asset), and marketing.
MACOC has a Logistics Innovation Council that is looking to maintain and improve Atlanta's position as a logistics leader. Focusing on economic development, MACOC and the council will look to further increase logistics jobs and logistics support jobs. There will also be a focus on the throughput of goods (although difficult to measure), global recognition for the Atlanta region, attractiveness of the region and retention of current jobs and business. The logistics council supports the ARC freight task force and has developed surveys and conducted professional focus groups on logistics needs. From these projects the council has developed a list of suggested research priorities. Finally, MACOC discussed general methods of spurring private sector involvement including the following:
- Start an industry group
- Map your transportation network
- Talk to your shippers and manufacturers to determine their needs
- Identify flows and bottlenecks for freight
- Ensure that your MPO incorporates freight in its long term transportation planning
The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) focuses on keeping current jobs and the creation of new jobs in the Philadelphia region. Only 10% of the region's workforce is in manufacturing while 21% is in the education and health care sectors. Airport usage is currently increasing. The GPCC works with the DVRPC on various transportation projects, including a recent ITS study. It is also participating with area stakeholders on a project to deepen the Delaware River. The GPCC owns 51% of the Belt Line railroad in Philadelphia, which helps keep the railroad access competitive. However, the GPCC focuses mostly on lobbying and outreach. The GPCC has a large marketing effort to promote the Philadelphia area. Its relationship with the DVRPC is good, but Mr. Mahoney felt that GPCC should attend the FAC meetings more often.
IX. Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force Quarterly Meeting
During the second day of the Peer Exchange participants observed a meeting of DVRPC's FAC, formally called the Delaware Valley Good Movement Task Force. Jane Hayse and Caroline Marshall participated in the meeting and Ms. Hayse gave a guest presentation similar to the one summarized above. The meeting included approximately 70 attendees and was one of the better-attended meetings for the DVRPC. The meeting focused on a variety of freight and transportation issues. The agenda for the meeting is provided below with comments about each part of the meeting. John Coscia, the executive director of DVRPC, presided over the meeting.- Call to order
All Task Force members were recognized and the October 20, 2004 (previous) meeting notes were offered for the committee's approval. - DVRPC Business: 2030 Long Range Plan
DVRPC is preparing a 2030 transportation plan for the region, which includes a treatment of freight movement. Michael Boyer of DVRPC reported on progress to date. This presentation was similar to the one given by Don Shanis and summarized above. - DVRPC Business: "Flex" of Federal Highway Funds to SEPTA for Operating Budget Relief
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) faces a $62 million deficit for FY 2005. Don Shanis of DVRPC explained PennDOT's request to flex $9.8 million of federal highway funds to SEPTA from the FY 2005 TIP as part of a short-term solution. - Guest Presentation: Freight Planning Initiatives in the Atlanta Region
Jane Hayse of ARC presented her agency's freight planning initiatives and freight advisory task force. - Guest Presentation: Delaware River Main Channel Deepening Project
LTC Robert J. Ruch, USACE Philadelphia District Commander, discussed details about the deepening of the Delaware River's main channel. - Two-minute Reports
Task Force and Subcommittee chairs and Task Force members provided updates on the activities of their companies and agencies. During this part of the meeting each member was given the opportunity to make announcements and give updates that might be pertinent to the task force as a whole. - Old/New Business
Old or new items of business were considered. The next scheduled meeting of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force is Friday, April 15, 2005.
X. Lessons Learned/Recommendations
Mike Meyer began the "Lessons Learned" session with a summary of the key points of the Peer Exchange. He focused on areas in which the Atlanta region could learn from the Philadelphia region. First, the Philadelphia region displayed leadership in the types of projects on which it focused. DVRPC has a customer-oriented planning process in which analysis and studies occur in a much broader context than jurisdictional boundaries. DVRPC also has formalized coordination with freight carriers/shippers through its freight advisory committee.DVRPC has a good planning process that includes "Freight plans", Statewide and regional transportation plans, special studies, and an advisory committee with input into local plans/studies. DVRPC has shown that it is important to change the mindsets of some transportation officials about the importance of freight. The DVRPC FAC showed substantive interaction between and among government agencies. It was particularly impressive how organized the DVRPC FAC was because not only do agencies face challenges achieving outside involvement, but public agencies also struggle with internal organization and participation.
Again using the DVRPC FAC example, Dr. Meyer suggested the following ways to keep participants in the ARC task force engaged: focus on accomplishments (projects, plan, influence, funded studies, TIP, etc), shape the agenda, focus on building the legitimacy of effort, start with the "quick" wins, make participants accountable, make sure high level officials attend each others' important meetings, let everyone participate, and make sure there are elements of fun and energy.
The following areas were main points on which both the Philadelphia and Atlanta regions focused throughout the exchange:
- "Telling the freight story" or making state/region more attractive to freight companies and residents through job creation
- "Educate" participants and stakeholders
- Link freight to all other aspects of planning
- Consider "non-traditional" projects and/or strategies
- Focus on bottlenecks/intermodal exchanges
Atlanta Group Lessons Learned
The Atlanta Region participants focused on the following lessons and observations from the Peer Exchange and the DVRPC and its FAC:
- DVRPC exhibited effective leadership in supporting freight planning and the FAC. Examples of this include the DVRPC executive director being intimately involved in the process. This is something ARC will try to duplicate with its task force and elevate freight within its planning process.
- DVRPC uses CMAQ funds for rail freight projects. ARC has used CMAQ to fund truck stop electrification program, ITS, and signal timing projects. But DVRPC's example shows that freight projects can be another method of congestion mitigation.
- The interaction between the freight sector and the public sector has been institutionalized in the Philadelphia region. ARC would like to work towards implementing the same situation in the Atlanta region.
- DVRPC has also set a good example of public agency coordination, which ARC would like to improve.
- DVRPC has shown how critical it is to engage the freight community in the overall planning process.
- ARC would like to have GDOT at its task forces meetings and present to the committees.
- DVRPC uses its FAC to prioritize freight projects and studies and this is an example that ARC would like to follow.
- DVRPC has rail freight projects in its TIP. This is something that ARC would like to cautiously explore.
- Next steps for ARC:
- ARC will rethink the composition and structure of its freight committee and look at ways to elevate freight planning within the overall planning process. ARC will also examine the freight subcommittee structure used at DVRPC.
- ARC staff needs to provide upper management with more information on freight issues to help raise their awareness of freight planning.
The Philadelphia Region Participants focused on the following lessons from the Peer Exchange:
- It would help MPOs and states to have Federal support for the importance of freight movement within the planning process.
- DVRPC and PennDOT would like to have a strengthened relationship with the GPCC as ARC and GDOT have with MACOC.
- One of the reasons that DVRPC has been able to keep the freight community interested is because it serves as a resource center and provides the opportunity for the freight community to learn about funding and other important issues. It also serves as a networking opportunity and the members recognize that.
- NJDOT uses the DVRPC for their outreach to the freight community. This is the most efficient method to include the freight community in its planning process.
- The DVRPC FAC shippers' subcommittee is currently working to connect with the local manufacturing community by arranging facility tours. This could lead to new projects.
- DVRPC has good attendance due to the leadership provided by the freight committee chairs and the fact that freight projects do receive funding.
- The DVRPC does not have to have all the expertise, but it serves as a catalyst for action and discussing freight.
- A next step for DVRPC FAC and staff is continuing to institutionalize freight planning needs into the overall planning process. Examples include corridor studies and becoming more active with other DVRPC committees.
- Both PennDOT and the DVRPC have freight data needs that they should address.
XI. For More Information:
| Key Contact(s): for host agency(s): | Caroline Marshall, AICP Principal Planner |
| Address: |
Atlanta Regional Commission 40 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30303 |
| Phone: | (404) 463-3285 |
| Fax: | (404) 463-3254 |
| E-mail: | cmarshall@atlantaregional.com |
| Key Contact(s): for host agency(s): | Ted Dahlburg Manager, Office of Freight Planning |
| Address: |
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission 111 S. Independence Mall East, 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19106 |
| Phone: | (215) 238-2844 |
| Fax: | (215) 592-9125 |
| E-mail: | tdahlburg@dvrpc.org |
| Key Contact(s): for host agency(s): | Carlos Gonzalez Transportation Planner |
| Address: |
FHWA — GA Division 61 Forsyth Street, SW Rm. 17T100 Atlanta, GA 30303 |
| Phone: | (404) 562-3639 |
| Fax: | (404) 562-3703 |
| E-mail: | carlos.gonzalez@fhwa.dot. |
XII. Attendees List
| Organization | Name | Title/Division or Office | E-Mail Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Regional Commission | Caroline Marshall, AICP | Principal Planner | cmarshall@atlantaregional.com | (404) 463-3285 |
| Atlanta Regional Commission | Jane Hayse | Transportation Planning Division Chief | jhayse@atlantaregional.com | (404) 463-3265 |
| Georgia DOT Office of Planning | Tom McQueen, AICP | Branch Chief | thomas.mcqueen@dot.state.ga.us | (404) 657-6697 |
| Georgia DOT, Office of Intermodal Programs | Steve Yost | Rail Program Manager | steve.yost@dot.state.ga.us | (404) 651-9215 |
| Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce | Bob Pertierra | VP Logistics Industry Development | bpertierra@macoc.com | (404) 586-8445 |
| Macon Economic Development Commission | Patrick Topping, CecD | Senior Vice President | ptopping@maconworks.com | (478) 621-2030 |
| GA Tech School of Civil and Environmental | Michael Meyer, Ph.D. | Professor | michael.meyer@ce.gatech.edu | (404) 385-2246 |
| URS Corporation | Adelee M. Le Grand | Transportation Planner | adelee_legrand@urscorp.com | (678) 808-8836 |
| Delaware Valley Regional Planning | Donald Shanis, Ph.D. | Assistant Executive Director | dshanis@dvrpc.org | (215) 238-2803 |
| Delaware Valley Regional Planning | Ted Dahlburg | Manager, Office of Freight Planning | tdahlburg@dvrpc.org | (215) 238-2844 |
| PennDOT Bureau of Rail Freight, Ports and Waterways | Edwin (Ran) Marshall | Freight Transportation Planning Manager | edmarshall@state.pa.us | (717) 787-2627 |
| PennDOT Program Center | Brian Wall | Transportation Planning Specialist | bwall@state.pa.us | (717) 772-0827 |
| Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce | Joe Mahoney | jmahoney@philachamber.com | (215) 790-3610 | |
| Regional Growth Strategies | Laurie Actman | Director | lactman@philachamber.com | (215) 790 -3794 |
| Division of Transportation Systems Planning - NJ DOT | Eric Powers | Freight Planner | eric.powers@dot.state.nj.us | (609) 530-3527 |
| Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey | Kevin G. Murphy | Manager Government Relations | kmurphy@chambernj.com | (856) 424-7776, Ext. 27 |
| NJDOT | Tineen Howard | tineen.howard@dot.state.nj.us | (609) 530-3828 | |
| NJDOT — Freight Planning | Paul Truban | paul.turban@dot.state.nj.us | (609) 530-3521 | |
| MacKavanagh Rail Consulting | Kelvin MacKavanagh | kelmack@bellatlantic.net | (609) 704-1270 | |
| Philadelphia Regional Port Authority | Mr. Nicholas Walsh | Director of Strategic Planning | nwalsh@philaport.com | (215) 426-2600 |
| Baltimore Metropolitan Council | Karin Foster | kfoster@baltometro.org | (410) 732-0500 | |
| FHWA — Resource Center | Jocelyn Jones | Jocelyn.jone@fhwa.dot.gov | (410) 962-2486 | |
| FHWA — GA Division | Carlos Gonzalez | Transportation Planner | carlos.gonzalez@fhwa.dot.gov | (404) 562-3639 |
| FHWA — PA Division | Spencer Stevens | Transportation Planning Team Leader | spencer.stevens@fhwa.dot.gov | (717) 221-3735 |
| FHWA — Resource Center | Fawn Thompson | Intermodal/Statewide Planning Specialist | fawn.thompson@fhwa.dot.gov | (404) 562-3917 |
| FHWA — NJ Division | Joung H. Lee | Transportation Planner | joung.lee@fhwa.dot.gov | (609) 637-4212 |
| U.S. DOT — Volpe Center | Terrance Regan | terry.regan@volpe.dot.gov | (617) 494-3628 | |
| U.S. DOT — Volpe Center | Paul Christner | Community Planner | paul.christner@volpe.dot.gov | (617) 494-3142 |
XIII. Agenda
Sharing Successes ... Building Visions
Freight Peer Exchange
ARC, DVRPC, and Planning Partners
Philadelphia, PA
January 18 - 20, 2005
| January 18, 2005 (Business Casual Attire) | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Welcome |
| January 19, 2005 (Business Casual Attire) | |
| 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | Continental Breakfast |
| 8:30 a.m. - 8: 45 a.m. | Introductions & Program Overview — Terry Regan, U.S. DOT VOLPE |
| 8:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. | FHWA Freight-Related Initiatives Carlos Gonzalez, FHWA — GA |
| 9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | Statewide Freight Initiatives
|
| 10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. | Break |
| 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Regional Initiatives
|
| 12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Recap — Terry Regan, U.S. DOT VOLPE |
| 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. - 4: 30 p.m. | Facility Tours
|
| 7:00 p.m. - | Dinner |
| January 20, 2005 (Business Attire) | |
| 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Continental Breakfast |
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. | Economic Development Linkages
|
| 9:45 - 10:00 a.m. | Break |
| 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | DVRPC — Goods Movement Task Force Meeting (w/ Lunch)
|
| 1:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. | Break |
| 1:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. | Recap — Michael Meyer, Ph.D., Georgia Tech |
| 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Next Steps...
|
