Virginia DOT releases statewide multimodal freight study
Written by jrood
The Virginia Department of Transportation completed the Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study - Phase II, which presents findings and recommendations to improve freight movement across the commonwealth. "This study has enabled us to identify the projects and develop strategies that are most important to moving nearly $2 trillion worth of freight annually throughout Virginia," said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton. "The resulting improvements to our transportation infrastructure would substantially enhance our ability to move freight that supports approximately $350 billion of Virginia's annual gross state product, contributing significantly to jobs and our economy." The Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study (Phase II) consists of the following: • Statewide freight study - Identifies projects from all modes (rail, port, airport and highway) that are most important to freight movement, including both programmed near-term projects and potential long-term projects. It also includes potential policies, actions and initiatives that supplement capital projects. • Multimodal freight corridor and subregion profiles - Provides concise descriptions of the geography, economic structure, commodity flows, transportation facilities and potential capital projects within each of the 11 multimodal freight corridors and four subregions in Virginia. • Potential freight strategies - Strategies to be considered have been proposed in several areas, including business information and outreach, intelligent transportation systems, transportation system/demand management, freight planning and funding. "The findings and recommendations in this report will help shape an effective freight transportation policy," added Connaughton. "We need to work closely with the freight industry to find a comprehensive solution and accurately project the impact or value of each transportation improvement project versus another." The study was completed under the direction of the Secretary of Transportation's Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment. The office was established in 2002 to encourage the coordination of multimodal and intermodal planning across the various transportation modes within the commonwealth. Phase I of the study was completed in 2007. Executive summaries and complete reports for both Phase I and II are now available on The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment website at http://www.vtrans.org/.
