TxDOT holds talk on future of freight routes

Increased traffic to take toll on roads

“Let’s Move Texas Freight Regional Workshop, Round 2” in Texarkana, Texas, solicited input Tuesday about moving freight in Texas, then across the U.S. and to world markets.

The workshop in the Texarkana, Texas, Convention Center discussed Texas Department of Transportation’s highway freight network, along with proposed freight transportation system priorities.

“The goal of the freight plan is to review urban roadway congestion, improve rural connectivity and bolster the efficiency of international commerce while meeting the future needs of consumers and industry, said Marcus Sandifer, TxDOT pub-

lic information officer in the Atlanta District.

The goal also intends to study freight access with highways, and grow economies, said Caroline Mays, director of freight and international trade section at TxDOT.

“The state’s growing truck tonnage will lead to increased daily truck trips and truck vehicle miles traveled, which in turn will further exacerbate congestion. In 2014, an estimated 587,900 daily truck trips occurred on Texas’ roadways according to the executive summary of the Texas Freight Mobility Plan.

“This figure is projected to double the daily truck trips by 2040. This increase in truck trips will in turn mean more miles traveled on Texas roadways. In 2014, more than 50 million heavy truck miles were traveled on Texas roadways.

“This figure is projected to increase by 89 percent, to nearly 95 million by 2040,” according to the summary.

The project will identify critical freight corridors and determine the factors how freight flows in the network, said Paula Dowell, principal and director of economics for Cambridge Systematics of Atlanta, Ga.

The state’s growing truck tonnage will lead to increased daily truck trips and vehicle miles traveled ; which in turn will further exacerbate congestion. In 2014, an estimated 587,900 daily truck trips occurred on Texas’ roadways.

Deteriorating level of service is also expected.

Increased congestion, truck tonnage, daily truck trips, and traffic on the Texas highway network—coupled with population growth—will significantly constrain the efficient movement of freight and people throughout the state, according to the summary.

In 2014, more than 19 percent of interstate centerline miles were considered deficient. By 2040 that number will grow to more than 45 percent. Large stretches of interstate corridors are predicted to have inadequate levels of service in 2040.

By 2040, more than 73 percent of Texas’ population, and more than 82 percent of the state’s employment is projected to be within 5 miles of an interstate, according to the summary.

This concentration of population and employment demonstrates the importance of interstates to Texas’ businesses and residents and the need for continued infrastructure investments, Dowell said.

These trends highlight the need to explore development and investment in modes other than highways to move both freight and people in the future for Texas to continue to be economically competitive, Dowell said.