Guidebook for Freight Policy, Planning, and Programming in Small- and Medium-Sized Metropolitan

Guidebook for Freight Policy, Planning, and Programming in Small- and Medium-Sized Metropolitan Areas

NCHRP REPORT 570. byHEANUE K.

This report is a comprehensive outlook on how to do freight policies and investment in small metropolitan areas. This guide book is broken down into 4 main modules. The first of which give a detailed methodology on how to do a self assessment of the freight level in the desire metro area. This is done by defining the Freight Planning Program Stage; identifying the different program elements and Freight Planning Guidelines you would want to implicate.

The next module explains how to integrating Freight intoMPO Activities. This is done by selecting the appropriate mix of freight planningactivities to meet their initial objectives. Many of the freight planning activities defined in thismodule are closely integrated and should be combined to effectively develop an integrated freightplanning program. For example, a regional freight profile supports the identification of freight needs and deficiencies, which feeds information and data into the freight element of a long-rangeplan (LRP). Very few of these freight planning activities exist in a vacuum, so it is critical that usersunderstand how these specific activities fit within the context of their existing transportation planningprogram.

The next module explains how to combine all the findings, data and resources acquired into a freight planning program. According to this report it is imperative that staff understand how the components it undertakes fit into the overall picture of a comprehensive freight program. Since the objective of this report Guidebook is to provide small- and medium-sized MPOs with a set ofguidelines to support the development and implementation of a freight planning program it is important that it expands on the freight planning emphasis of ISTEA, TEA-21, and SAFETEA-LU to providespecific actions that MPOs should take to initiate a freight transportation planning program.

The last module simple provides Resources Available through FHWA’s Freight Professional Development Program.