A Performance- and Cost-Based Framework to Evaluate the Value of Multimodal Logistics Infrastructure

This project develops a practical, data-driven framework to evaluate the value of logistics infrastructure in a multimodal freight region. Focusing on the St. Louis metropolitan area, the framework integrates freight performance measurement with generalized logistics cost modeling to translate travel time, reliability, and terminal access improvements into economic outcomes. Methods include assembling a regional freight network representation, computing corridor-level travel time and variability metrics, and applying scenario-based valuation to estimate marginal benefits of targeted investments. The project also includes a private-sector truck–rail–barge use case to quantify multimodal tradeoffs and assess the competitiveness of inland waterway transportation under alternative infrastructure scenarios. The resulting workflow provides agencies and regional partners with transparent, repeatable methods to support freight investment prioritization and decision-making.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $152,036.54
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348307

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851
• Project Managers:

  Bruner, Britain

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Missouri, St. Louis

  1 University Boulevard
  St. Louis, MO  United States  63121-4400
• Principal Investigators:

  Encarnacion, Trilce

  Li, Haitao

• Start Date: 20260601
• Expected Completion Date: 20270531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic analysis; Forecasting; Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Infrastructure; Inland waterways; Logistics; Multimodal transportation; Performance measurement
• Geographic Terms: St. Louis (Missouri)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01989400
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348307
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 16 2026 11:52AM