Freight Data Synthesis

The research in this report was designed to collect information on the freight data needed to support transportation planning in Colorado. There were three steps involved in the research for this study. First, the freight-related transportation planning efforts in the State were reviewed. The second step was to research freight planning efforts in other states to document the types of freight data that were used and needed for these studies. This step represents the core of the research effort. The third step was to develop recommendations for freight data collection for studies planned in Colorado based on the types of data that were successfully used in other states on similar studies. The primary finding of this research is that there are freight data needs in the State that would significantly improve freight transportation planning. The primary freight data need is improved origin-destination data collected through roadside truck origin-destination surveys on interstates and key freight-intensive state highways in Colorado. This type of data would be beneficial for several types of studies, including corridor studies, truck-rail diversion studies, safety studies, and economic development studies. The research in this study also indicated that there were several freight-related studies that would be beneficial for the State including a freight-focused vehicle classification count program, a truck safety analysis, and a freight-focused economic analysis. This research also identified a freight data collection program for Colorado that includes the development of rough cost estimates for each freight data collection effort that is recommended along with examples of how the freight data can be utilized.