Intermodal Freight Planning

Freight and Goods Movement Planning

Freight and goods movement planning is a process of identifying, evaluating, and selecting needed projects and actions that will improve the movement of freights and goods. The Broward County Transportation Planning Division of the Department of Urban Planning and Redevelopment has worked continuously over the last several years to develop and maintain a freight and goods movement planning program. This program was initiated in the mid-1990s with an industry outreach activity designed to identify key freight transportation issues.

Industry Outreach:

The Freight and Goods Movement Industry Outreach Initiative was conducted in two phases. The first phase consisted of workshops with management-level representatives from the freight industry. Specific transportation issues emerged from these workshops, along with proposed projects that would immediately benefit the movement of goods in Broward County. Freight and Goods Movement Industry Outreach Initiative is available for viewing in portable document format (PDF).

The second Phase of the Outreach Initiative involved surveying commercial truck drivers to gather information on the difficulties they encountered traveling on the roads in Broward County. Drivers also were presented with several questions on the need for a truck stop in Broward County, a need which was identified in the initial phase of the outreach. Commercial Vehicle Driver Survey/Truck Stop Terminal Facility Research Project is available for viewing in portable document format (PDF).

Intermodal Freight Planning

Improving the efficient movement of freight and goods in Broward County also requires considering the transfers of freight and goods between the different modes of transportation---air, sea, rail, and road. These transfers between modes occur at intermodal facilities such as airports, seaports, freight rail terminals, and major trucks terminals.

Intermodal freight planning in Broward County considers:

• Connections between facilities, such as between the Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades;
• Roads and rails providing access to intermodal facilities, especially to the Airport and Port Everglades;
• Links between intermodal facilities and major highway and rail corridors, such as between the Airport and I-95;
• Intermodal transfer facilities;
• Mode crossing, such as highway-rail grade crossings.

These considerations and the results of the industry outreach initiative led to the development of a comprehensive freight and goods movement study. The Broward County Freight and Goods Movement Study (FGMS), completed in 2002, is identified as a component of the Broward County Long Range Transportation Plan. The FGMS developed a detailed freight profile for Broward County, including recognition of the importance of freight facilities located in Miami/Dade and Palm Beach Counties.

The freight transportation profile included:

• Freight volumes moving into, out, and through Broward County both by the number of trips and by tonnage, as well as the existing mode splits;
• Key freight infrastructure in the regional transportation system including major load centers, i.e., seaports, airports, rail yards as well as key highways and rail lines;
• The economic profile which defines the characteristics that drive freight transportation needs and help identify future bottlenecks.

Freight and Goods Movement Study, Final Reportis available for viewing in portable document format (PDF).

Following the FGMS the Division undertook development of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) intermodal plan, which was completed in 2003. This project expanded the work completed by the FGMS to look specifically at the use of information technology to improve the safety and mobility of freight operations.

The intermodal ITS project included:

• Reviewing state of the art ITS applications for freight operations in the Nation, State, and County;
• Developing and evaluating alternatives and strategies for Broward County;
• Reaching consensus and fine tuning a recommended alternative consisting of a range of projects, each dealing with the safety, security, reliability, and mobility of the transportation system.

Broward County ITS Intermodal Plan, Final Reportis available for viewing in portable document format (PDF).

Currently the MPO is undertaking the 2030 LRTP Update. The update will include a freight specific element based on foundation built by the Freight and Goods Movement Study and the Broward County ITS Intermodal Plan.

Coordination

Effective freight and goods movement and intermodal freight planning involves the coordination and collaboration of many partners. Transportation Planning Division staff members serve on the DOT Freight and Goods Movement Committee; the Miami-Dade Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC); several of the State Intermodal System (SIS) development committees; the South Florida Metropolitan Area CFASPP Steering Committee; and the South Florida ITS Coalition.