Preserving and Protecting Freight Infrastructure and Routes Findings from NCFRP 24 Mark Meitzen, Principal Investigator August 2011

2 Introduction and Outline  NCFRP 24 team  Christensen Associates  UT Austin Center for Transportation Research  Grow & Bruening  Assistance from Kathryn Pett  This presentation is a high-level summary  Freight transportation and its value  Incompatibilities between freight and other land uses  Freight considerations in land use planning and zoning  Greater detail on EnvisionFreight website and forthcoming final report

August Supply Chains and the Movement of Freight  Most supply chains have an important spatial or geographic dimension  Activity hubs and links between hubs  Scope can be local, regional, national, international  Transportation is the vital link in these networks between diverse locations and functions  Raw materials  Various stages of production  Warehousing and distribution  Retail

August The Importance of Freight Transportation  On average, almost 11,000 ton-miles of freight is transported annually for every person in the U.S.  Equivalent to one ton transported about half-way around the world for every person  Efficient freight transportation is a key to minimizing supply chain costs  In general, over half of logistics costs are related to transportation  Speed and reliability are key factors  Efficiency of freight transportation has important implications for the economy’s performance

August The Role of Freight Transportation in Production and Distribution

August Incompatibilities Between Freight and other Land Uses  Potential conflicts between freight operations and adjacent land uses  e.g., residential, commercial, schools, hospitals, etc.  Particularly an issue in urban areas  Nuisance  Congestion, traffic issues  Noise, vibration, light  Pollution and health  Physical encroachment or interference  Safety  At-grade crossings  Trespass  Accidents and spills

August Incompatibilities = Barriers to Efficient Freight Operations  From freight perspective, these conflicts often interfere with freight operations. For example:  Speed restrictions  Hours of operation restrictions  Clearance and weight limitations  Capacity constraints  Corridor design constraints  Implications for supply chain/logistics efficiency and reliability  Higher production and distribution costs

August Physical Encroachment onto Railroad Property Source: Chuck Burnell North Carolina Railroad

August Residential Development in Close Proximity to Port Activity, LA/LB CA Source: The Impact Project, June %20Trade%20Health%20Environment.pdf

August Development Adjacent to Waterways Source: Mileski et al, “Analysis and Recommendations on Protecting Waterways from Encroachment”, Texas Transportation Institute, August, 2010.Mileski et al, “Analysis and Recommendations on Protecting Waterways from Encroachment”, Texas Transportation Institute, August, 2010.

August Development Adjacent/Around Freight Facilities Key Highway (Condominiums) Baltimore MD Source: Jim Dwyer, Talking Freight, November

August Trucks Queuing into Port, and Logistics Facilities Source: The Impact Project, LA/LB CA, June %20Trade%20Health%20Environment.pdf Source: Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports, Oakland CA rg/downloads/Port_Campaign _Overview.pdf

August Aircraft Noise - Residents Near Los Angeles International Airport Source: GAO Airport Operations and Future Growth Present Environmental Challenges, August e/2000/rc00153.pdf

August Poor Land Use Planning and Construction Standards Source: Dale Hill – Union Pacific

August Trespass is Major Issue for Rail  Children crossing UP line in Anaheim CA to get to Ball Jr. High School  Crossing the tracks to get to San Onofre State Beach, CA Source: Jon Waide FRA Region 7 Law Enforcement Liaison Officer

August Freight Preservation and Protection Strategies Long-Range PlanningZoning and DesignMitigationEducation and Outreach State Enabling Acts Regional Visioning Comprehensive Plans Freight Facility Inventories Official Maps Purchase and Advance Acquisition Land Swaps Protective Condemnation Permit Development Access Rights Zoning Standards Buffer Areas Overlay Districts Lot Orientation Property Design Construction Standards Sound Proofing Standards Buffer Areas Noise and Vibration Treatment Track Treatment Yard Re-alignment Grade Crossing Management Port Gate Management Environmental Measures Zoning Measures Public Outreach and Education Relocation Informal Negotiations Public Involvement Multi-Jurisdictional Agreements Public Outreach and Education Stakeholder Roundtables and Freight/Community Committees

August Why Does Land Use Planning Matter to Freight?  Planning provides roadmap for (good and bad) zoning  Inadequate planning can lead to projects that:  Block or otherwise impact freight corridors  Put incompatible uses near, or encroaching on each other  Reduce industrial land available near freight facilities (e.g., ports)  Mitigation is often attempted when planning and zoning are inadequate  Mitigation can be expensive and is not always effective  Freight has typically not been a significant element of land use planning

August Freight Compatible Planning and Development  Starts with long-range land use planning that:  Recognizes freight as a geographically-dispersed system –Corridors that span areas, not “blobs”  Protects and preserves the freight system  Permits future expansion of, and efficiency improvements to, the freight system  Avoid or minimize incompatibilities with other land uses. For example:  Buffer areas  Locations of commercial, residential, schools, hospitals, etc.  Lot orientation, building layout, construction guidelines

August Land Use Authority in the U.S.

August State Enabling Acts  State statute (“enabling act”) delegates the state’s land use authority to local governments and specifies:  Extent of authority  Required planning matters  Required procedural steps  Required planning documents (comprehensive plan, zoning ordinances, zoning map, subdivision ordinances, etc.)  Very few include freight operations as a required planning element

August Typical Local Government Land Use System

August Local Land Use is Influenced by Other Processes

August MPOs and Regional Visions  MPOs mandated by federal law for metro areas  Establish long-range transportation plans (20–30 years) and short-term (5 years) “transportation improvement programs”  These plans can be key places to protect freight  Local governments generally protect MPO-designated corridors from land use encroachment  Regional visions – non-binding, long term (25-50 yrs)  Typically sponsored by MPOs, councils of govt, etc  Local governments are key stakeholders  In most visioning processes, freight has not been a key component to this point

August Some Reasons for Inadequate Freight Planning  Most state enabling acts don’t include freight as a required planning element  Thus, not included in comprehensive plans or zoning  Not perceived as a local government issue  Benefits of freight are too removed, poorly understood  Local government only sees a piece of the system  Freight providers not always cooperative  Education and communication issues  Planning degrees don’t provide freight education  Freight stakeholders often aren’t involved in land use planning and visioning processes

August Proposed Approach for Improving Freight Planning  Amend state enabling acts to make freight planning required in local comprehensive plans  Include freight in regional visions and MPO long- range plans  Create zoning ordinances that prescribe design criteria for freight-compatible development  Involvement and communication  Freight stakeholders need to get involved in regional and local planning processes  Planners and elected officials need to invite freight stakeholders to the table

August  Website developed for NCFRP 24 with info on:  The value of freight transportation  Planning and preservation strategies  Mitigation approaches  Illustrative case studies  Urban freight operation issues and strategies highlighted in case studies. For example:  SIRR – corridor preservation and rehabilitation  MIZOD – overlay zone to preserve port assets  ARFMP – regional freight planning involving multiple stakeholders  Intermodal relocation – capacity and congestion