INTERMODAL FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION PLANNING USING COMMODITY FLOW DATA

All states regularly conduct statewide long-range transportation planning. The main focus has been on passenger trip demand forecasting. The freight demand forecasting has lagged because a commonly acceptable standard practice is not available and the data needed for performing the necessary analysis is not readily available. Thus, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program recently identified the development of methodologies for forecasting statewide freight movements and related performance measures as a priority research topic. Furthermore, there are pressing needs to research and develop systematic intermodal freight transportation planning procedures and methodologies to model freight flows on transportation networks, to identify and prioritize transportation improvement needs, to meet the federal requirements such as TEA-21, and to enhance the competitiveness of the economy at all levels. Some states, such as Mississippi, despite their relative small sizes, have extensive intermodal freight transportation networks that are composed of all major transportation modes. This project addresses the needs of those states engaged in statewide intermodal freight transportation planning by developing intermodal freight transportation planning procedures and methodologies.