Building the Partnership: Metropolitan Planning and Freight Transportation Workshops and Site Visits
Chicago
October 24-26, 1999
Intermodal freight professionals gathered in Chicago in October to examine elements of the metropolitan planning process as it relates to intermodal freight movement and to observe a working, successful public/private partnership in the Chicago region. At a workshop sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and supported by several organizations (Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, The National Industrial Transportation League, the Foundation for Intermodal Research and Education, the Intermodal Association of North America and the Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc.) teams came from Cleveland, Orlando, Columbus, Philadelphia and Toledo to interact with Chicago area planners, shippers and carriers. Each team was included a representative from the state or region's Department of Transportation, plus one each from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the freight industry.
The workshop began with an informal reception and welcome dinner on the evening of arrival. Following a welcome from George Schoener, Chief, Intermodal and Statewide Programs Division, Federal Highway Administration, course instructors Gerald Rawling, Director of Operations Analysis at the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) and Tina Casgar, Senior Policy Advisor, Intermodal Association of North America, described how the workshop concept was formulated and reviewed the schedule. Workshop modules included a session on public and private financing options, attendance at the CATS Intermodal Advisory Task Force; site visits to intermodal yards, a busy truck corridor, a major carrier's transfer facility and an air cargo facility. Robert Ritter, Director, Policy Activities at the Eno Transportation Foundation reviewed the notebook of background materials provided to each participant. The concept for the workshop resulted from the Eno Foundation's Policy Forum on freight transportation and metropolitan planning issues and the Foundation provides overall administration and management for the workshops. Information on the Chicago area freight community and all site visits were provided, along with publications and reading material on freight planning subjects.
Throughout the very interactive program, participants were encouraged to ask questions, make comments and share their experiences. At the opening session, participants indicated that their expectations for the workshop included learning how to conduct freight goods and services mobility study, how to plan intermodal facilities, how to develop a system of priorities, how to involve the private sector in planning, find out what other agencies are doing, how to make a better integrated system, among others.
The first module was a discussion of both public and private financing opportunities for freight transportation projects. George Schoener reviewed the various federal-aid programs available and the eligibility requirements for each. While many programs exist with the potential to fund freight projects, passenger programs often get funding priority during congressional authorization. The freight community needs to explore all of their options in identifying potential federal funding and should remind Congress of the importance of freight projects. Robert Hart, Group Vice President and Director Surface Transportation, ABN AMRO Bank, discussed the private sector perspective in financing transportation infrastructure projects, emphasizing that the private sector must deal with competing constituents and focus on return to shareholders when making funding decisions. The sector is looking for relatively quick results from projects that show the potential to grow revenue, reduce expenses or both.
Workshop participants attended the CATS Intermodal Advisory Task Force meeting which is a model for a public/private partnership. The agenda for this particular meeting included the status of the regional intermodal connectors assessment, a report on the national connectors project, a presentation on the application of ATIS, and a discussion of freight topics in northwest Indiana. Later, workshop participants would travel the Borman Expressway to Indiana to see first-hand this heavily used freight corridor. Workshop participants spent an informal lunch with the task force which allowed for one-on-one comparisons of experiences and sharing on how the Task Force works in Chicago and could be developed in other regions. During lunch there was a presentation and video from the Northwestern University Civil Engineering Department featuring geometric limitations on truck movements.
The afternoon program included a drive-through site visit to the Harvey Yard, an intermodal ramp for the Canadian National/Illinois Central railroad. Nick Graves, Mayor of the Village of Harvey, joined the group to discuss the importance of the yard to the local economy.
As featured dinner speaker, Paul Nowicki, co-chair of the Intermodal Advisory Task Force and Assistant Vice President Government and Public Policy for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, presented his views on the intermodal freight transportation systems. He reminded the audience that we have the best transportation system in the world and, in particular, the best freight transportation system. He noted that since we are all so close to the issues, we are well aware of the imperfections and are striving to improve them. That should not prevent us from recognizing our successes, however. Furthermore, Paul discussed the challenges in sustaining solid public/private partnerships.
Chris Hedden, Intermodal Freight Analyst, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and Matthew Yingling, Manager, Infrastructure Development, Greater Columbus Inland Ports, gave an overview of the Inland Port concept and the processes developed to provide for infrastructure improvements. Chris discussed the difficulties the region has experienced recently after several successful years of freight planning and partnerships - he seems to be losing momentum. He emphasized early successes with "low hanging fruit" - the easier operational issues that provide quick, tangible results. Once those issues have been addressed, however, it can be difficult to maintain the intensity necessary to deal with the tougher problems. Chris encouraged planners to make freight their mission, to spend as much time on freight issues as possible. He also presented the concept of an FTIP - a freight transportation improvement plan - which outlines the freight projects needed for the region.
The second day began with a trip to O'Hare International Airport to visit a multi-use, multi-line air cargo facility. Alliance Airlines provides cargo-handling services for several air carriers. Louis Garcia, Division Manager, Airline Cargo Handling Services, explained how cargo loads delivered by truck were palletized, loaded, weighed and delivered to the aircraft. Import cargo undergoes a reverse procedure. Security, processing and logistics were reviewed.
Alliance Airlines is pioneering an American Trucking Association Foundation (ATAF) sponsored test of a new security system, which uses biometrics and smartcards to verify the driver. In an FAA sponsored phase I, drivers were issued a smartcard which contains their fingerprint and picture identification data along with company and cargo information. Dan Murray, Senior Public Policy Analyst with ATAF, and Harry Wilkinson, President, SecurCom, explained that this paperless verification program improves security and speeds up the process for drivers and the shipping company. This project was administered by SecurCom, which also provides security services for the entire airport. A Phase II funded by US DOT's Office of Intermodalism will expand the project into an electronic manifest that connects shippers through carriers to the consignees.
After lunch at O'Hare, the party traveled to another example of a working freight partnership. The United Parcel Service (UPS) constructed their Chicago Area Consolidation Hub (CACH) adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Willow Springs Intermodal Yard to take advantage of convenient access to rail transfer facilities. Mike Johl, Community Relations Manager, UPS, explained that the local governments of Willow Springs and Hodgkins provided incentives for UPS to replace an old automobile panel stamping plant with the CACH. Incentives included job training, property and sales tax abatement. UPS guaranteed 1,200 full time equivalent jobs at the site, shared in the cost of a new interchange and agreed to recycling programs during construction. CACH serves as the flagship facility to move UPS ground freight east-west. This facility works very closely with BNSF and located their site so as to have immediate access to an interstate and a premium intermodal facility. The workshop curriculum concluded with a feedback session at the UPS training center.
Workshop organizers were given high marks for providing a comprehensive review of the issues, although there was an element of overload expressed about the very full curriculum. Topics for expansion at subsequent workshops were: better background of the freight network in the host city, more detail on economics (costs and benefits) of intermodal facilities and their impact on communities and more information on the interaction between the public and private partners which led to the success of each facility.
The following workshop participants were selected from a large pool of applicants based on the existence of an established working partnership, cooperative effort among partnering organizations, and the level of planning activity in the region:
Ron Close
CSXT, Toledo
Rick Crawford
Norfolk Southern, Philadelphia
Ted Dahlburg
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Ken Flack
Southwest Pennsylvania Commission
Robert Greenlese
Toledo-Lucas Co. Port Authority
Richard Harris
Great Western Meats, Orlando
Chris Hedden
Mid-Ohio Regional Planninng Commission
Dennis Hooker
Metroplan Orlando
Robert Layton
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Committee
Dave Monge
Roadway Express, Inc., Ohio
Diane Reamer-Evans
Toledo Metro Area Council of Governments
Susan Sadighi
Florida Department of Transportation
Carmen Stemen
Ohio Department of Transportation
Dennis Tiley
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
James White
Cleveland Express Trucking Co., Inc.
Matthew Yingling
Greater Columbus Inland Ports
This workshop was offered as a demonstration to test the demand for training in freight and metropolitan planning issues. One additional demonstration workshop will be scheduled for Spring 2000 in Seattle, WA. The sponsors will evaluate these workshops and assess the potential for more in the future.
