freight transportation in the upper midwest: a regional perspective

Freight Transportation in the Upper Midwest: A Regional Perspective

Talking Freight Web Seminar

Travis GordonMidwest Regional University Transportation Center

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Upper Midwest/Great Lakes region

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Agenda

The regional nature of freight Benefits of multi-jurisdictional cooperation Upper Midwest Freight Corridor Study

Overview Preliminary results Next steps

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Regional nature of freight

Freight “doesn’t respect” boundaries Actions of one agency will have an effect on

neighboring jurisdictions Intra-regional freight movements

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Intra-regional transport

From Illinois to: ValueCanada $6 billion

Japan $2 billion

Mexico $2 billion

UK $1 billion

Germany $1 billion

Ohio $20 billion

Wisconsin $18 billion

Indiana $18 billion

Michigan $18 billion

Source: Regional Economics Application Lab, University of Illinois

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Benefits

Efficient use of resources Larger pool of resources and staffing Sharing of plans and information Addresses freight specific problems

Burden sharing Cannot solve all the problems alone

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Upper Midwest Freight Corridor Study

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Study overview

Collaborative effort by six states and three university transportation centers

Five key areas of work August 2003 (contract signed) February 2005 (final report printed) Provides stakeholders with information on the

freight transportation system in our region Unique elements

The crossroads of AmericaSource: 1997 CFS

Distribution of freight activities (1997)

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Freight traffic in the region

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

% of freight by value

Intra-state

Intra-regional

External

Pass through

NW of Twin Cities (I-94) W of Davenport (I-80) Indiana/Ohio Border (I-80/90)

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Existing Highway Conditions

Level of Service

A-B

C-D

E-F

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Existing River Conditions

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Study results (continued)

Administrative Issues There may be benefits of standardizing size and

weight regulations across the region (non-designated roads), but the cost is too great

Opportunities for regional cooperation in ITS applications for commercial vehicles

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Study results (continued)

Performance Measures Safety; Economic efficiency; Economic

development; Environment; Reliability; Congestion

Synthesis of Practices There are benefits of multi-state cooperation; it

makes sense Learning from the experiences of the I-95 Corridor

Coalition and others

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Next Steps

Communication Coalition Coordination

Define longer term when reauthorization is clear

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Contacts

Website: www.uppermidwestfreight.org Ernie Wittwer, wittwer@engr.wisc.edu, 608-263-3175 Travis Gordon, gordont@cae.wisc.edu, 608-262-6639