Developing Performance Measures for Sustainable Freight Movement
Record Type: UTC

Freight movement by road and rail is a cornerstone of the economy of the United States. However, the movement of freight is increasingly impacted by congestion, overburdened infrastructure and economic issues. Freight movement also has an impact on transportation safety, environmental concerns, and the overall viability of our economy. Thus, there is a need to emphasize and improve sustainability of the freight system, both in terms of enhancing the benefits of a robust freight system and minimizing the negative impacts freight movement can have on transportation corridors. In general, sustainability refers to providing for environmental stewardship, economic efficiency, and social equity in the present, as well as into the future. This project is developing a framework and methodology to address the issues of freight sustainability at the transportation corridor level, i.e. for highways and rail facilities. Steps include defining the goals and objectives of sustainability as it pertains to freight movement, and developing appropriate performance measures that reflect progress toward these goals. Different sets of performance measures are being developed to accommodate the specific needs of both urban and rural corridors. The data requirements for evaluating the performance measures are also being taken into account during performance measure development. This research is also developing a methodology for evaluating the individual performance measures for a specific transportation corridor, and combines them into an aggregate sustainability indicator. Using this process, the relative sustainability of freight movement can be compared for different corridors, or for alternate development scenarios for a specific corridor. To demonstrate this application, this project includes a case study performed for a major freight corridor in Texas. Project results will provide an analysis methodology for Department of Transportation (DOT) and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) officials to use in their planning and project development practice.
Start date: 2009/9/1
End date: 2011/2/28
Status: Active
Contract/Grant Number: DTRT06-G-0044
Secondary Number: 00043
Total Dollars: 80000
Source Organization: University Transportation Center for Mobility
Date Added: 01/21/2009
Index Terms: Sustainable transportation, Sustainable development, Freight traffic, Freight transportation, Traffic congestion, Truck tractors, Trucking, Metropolitan planning organizations, Texas, Research projects, Performance measurement,

University Transportation Center for Mobility
http://utcm.tamu.edu
Texas Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3135
USA
Phone: (979) 845-2538
Fax: (979) 845-9761

Tooley, Melissa S
Phone: (979) 845-8545
Fax: (979) 845-9761
Email: m-tooley@tamu.edu

Texas Transportation Institute
http://tti.tamu.edu
Texas A&M University System
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3135
USA

Zietsman, Josias
Phone: (979) 458-3476
Email: zietsman@tamu.edu

Farzaneh, Mohamadreza
Phone: (512) 467-0946
Email: mfarzaneh@tamu.edu