GAO Reports on Approaches to Mitigate Freight Congestion

An initial GAO report recommended the Department of Transportation work with Congress and freight stakeholders to develop a national strategy to transform the federal government's involvement in freight transportation projects. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/17/08 news, 08011799 8, for BP summary of GAO's report on improving freight transportation systems.)

In response to the initial report, GAO was asked to research low-cost technologies to improve freight mobility. However, the National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is currently conducting a comprehensive research project to identify low-cost and quickly implementable approaches to address this issue. Therefore, this GAO report provides high-level information on (1) the ongoing research conducted by NCFRP; and examples of (2) implemented or planned technologies, and (3) projects to improve freight mobility.

NCFRP Research Project

NCFRP findings will be used to develop a searchable database that will allow users to find low-cost and quickly implementable solutions particular to their freight mobility issues. The group has preliminarily defined 'low-cost' and 'quickly implementable' improvement as an action that modifies existing geometry and operational features of the infrastructure system in a short time-frame without extended disruption to traffic flow. The next updated interim report on this project will be completed in January 2009.

Technologies to Improve Freight Mobility

Examples of technologies to improve freight mobility fall under two approaches identified in the initial report - efforts to increase the efficiency of existing infrastructure and to add new capacity to the transportation network. These include:

Chassis pools at ports that make chassis available to any company, eliminating the process of locating and using specific chassis,

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) used to identify, track, and store information on electronic container tags, enabling operators to better position containers and reduce overall paperwork,

Virtual container yards that allow users to match empty equipment needs through a web-based exchange platform without first returning containers to a storage area, decreasing turn-around time and increasing containers taken directly to exporters,

Extended business hours for receiving shipments to reduce peak traffic congestion, and

Congestion pricing that applies tolls, surcharges, or fees for using transportation infrastructure during certain peak periods of travel.

New Projects to Add to Existing Infrastructures

The following are examples of new projects and proposals designed to create or add to capacity to improve freight mobility:

Establishing inland ports located away from traditional land, air, and coastal borders to facilitate trade through strategic investment in multi-modal transportation assets,

Freight rail improvements including building new intermodal facilities and adding tracks to the rail network to relieve capacity constraints and enhance freight mobility,

Bridge improvement/replacement in certain locations,

On-dock rail access that place rail facilities at the port terminal, eliminating the need for transport by truck and reducing road traffic,

Truck-only highway lanes that are physically separated from passenger vehicles.

DOT Responds to GAO Report

In response to GAO findings, DOT noted that, while the report addresses several practical approaches for mitigating freight congestion, it does not discuss expanding the use of waterborne transportation as an effective way to help relieve shore-side congestion. Waterborne transportation is generally underutilized and cost effective. It also requires little new infrastructure and could result in fuel savings and air emissions reductions.

GAO-09-163R (dated 11/20/08) available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09163r.pdf