Preserving and Protecting Freight Infrastructure and Routes

Freight transportation infrastructure and operations are threatened by a variety of factors and trends. Examples include gentrification along truck routes connecting to urban freight generating facilities such as manufacturing and distribution facilities and marine ports that create pressures to reduce or constrain freight activities; prohibitions placed on freight operations because of noise, visual pollution, and emissions impacts; and incompatible land development adjacent to century-old port and rail facilities. Local citizens often influence decision makers to adopt public plans, policies, and investments that force relocation or discontinuance of freight operations and facilities, both public and private. Without better planning, the projected growth in urban areas in the United States, combined with the corresponding increase in freight demand, will result in the continued threat to freight infrastructure from “higher value” land use. Once encroachment by incompatible development has occurred near freight facilities, mitigation is an expensive, lengthy, and often unsuccessful process. Similarly, freight “relocation” often negatively impacts freight transportation by increasing travel distances or adding complexity to freight interchanges, ultimately resulting in increased costs to business and consumers. A better approach is to plan for and identify potential areas of encroachment and conflict before they occur and provide governmental agencies and private stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to prevent incompatible development near critical freight infrastructure. And where freight and non-freight uses do coexist, adopt more effective strategies for mitigation, conflict mediation, and redevelopment approaches that integrate freight facility preservation into broader public planning efforts. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to provide guidance to public and private stakeholders to develop, preserve, protect, and enhance freight transportation infrastructure and routes for all modes of transportation.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2667
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Published as National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) Report 16

Language

• English

Project

• Funding: $450,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  24

• Sponsor Organizations:

  NCFRP

  ,    

  National Cooperative Freight Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  Washington DC,   United States  20590
• Performing Organizations:

  Christensen Associates

  ,    
• Principal Investigators:

  Meitzen, Mark

• Start Date: 20091022
• Expected Completion Date: 20110729
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Development; Freight transportation; Infrastructure; Land use; Routes; Stakeholders; Transportation planning; Urban areas
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01962476
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: 24
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 4 2025 4:56PM