DOT RELEASES STATE FREIGHT DATA
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a series of short reports to help policymakers respond to changes in freight volumes and traffic patterns in each state.
The state freight profiles aim to help state and local officials with long-range planning to accommodate the huge growth in freight expected during the next 20 years.
DOT estimates that the U.S. transportation system will handle cargo valued at almost $30 trillion in 20 years, compared with $9 trillion today. Volumes, in tons, will increase nearly 70 percent from the current 15 billion tons. International freight will double in volume by 2020.
The study determined demand for rail, air, port and highway capacity based on economic forecasts for 2010 and 2020 and compared it to existing infrastructure capacity so planners can see the connection between international trade flows and potential intermodal bottlenecks.
The data was compiled from the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Maritime Administration, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Office of Intermodalism.
The state profiles are posted at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/state_profiles.htm.