Congestion Management Process

Freight System Planning Recommendations Project

Final Report:

Note: This report was developed by Cambridge Systematics to assist CMAP in developing freight system recommendations for GO TO 2040.  GO TO 2040 used the recommendations developed in this project as the basis for the GO TO 2040 Freight Chapter.  The Freight Chapter represents the adopted freight planning document, part of the broader GO TO 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan, while the report below has no official endorsement.

However, the report below is extremely valuable in its broad overview of freight issues, with multi-modal stakeholder outreach, analysis, and evaluation of recommendations.  Further, while the GO TO 2040 freight recommendations will be the focus of freight system improvements for years to come, the recommendations in the report that were not carried into the plan may merit future consideration or lower-priority implementation by our partner agencies, as appropriate.  CMAP is continuing to develop and improve analytical tools that may help future evaluations of adopted and future potential freight system improvements, as recommended in GO TO 2040.

Final Report.  The document is posted bel0w in sections.  A complete report is also posted below.

Executive Summary and Sections 1-3  (pdf, 1.7 MB)
-  Executive Summary
-  1.  Introduction
-  2.  The Chicago Region Freight Challenge
-  3.  Regional Freight Planning Framework

Section 4: Stakeholder Outreach Documentation (pdf, 0.9 MB)

Section 5: Data Collection, Synthesis, and Analysis (pdf, 6.4 MB)

Sections 6-8 (pdf, 0.9 MB)
-  6.  Performance Measures
-  7.  Freight Operations
-  8.  Range of Policy Recommendations

Section 9: Infrastructure Recommendations (pdf, 1.3 MB)

Sections 10-11 (pdf, 3.8 MB)
- 10.  Evaluation of Recommendations
- 11.  Conclusions and Recommended Next Steps

Complete Report (pdf, 14.4 MB)

Appendices (pdf, 6.1 MB)

Working Papers

 The following papers describing aspects of the Freight System Planning Recommendations Project were presented at the Transport Chicago Conference on June 4, 2010:

A GIS-Driven Process for Identifying Rail Infrastructure Improvements (pdf, 1.3 MB)

Development and Application of a Commodity Carrying Truck Flow Tool (pdf, 1.4 MB)

Using Performance Measures for Project Prioritization (pdf, 0.4 MB)

Process, July 2009 - June, 2010

Future Freight Flow Analysis, Regional Framework, and Policy Recommendations (February, 2010)

The following documents need substantial additional editing, but are provided here for the February meeting of the CMAP Freight Committee.  These are draft documents subject to substantial and editorial change:

Future Freight Flow Analysis 
Regional Framework and Policy Recommendations

Revised Recommendations (December, 2009)

Based on feedback at the November Freight Committee meeting, CMAP and Cambridge Systematics have prepared revised recommendations.  These will be reviewed by the Freight Committee at its December meeting.

Revised Policy Recommendations 
Project Recommendation Map 
Revised Project Recommendation List

Data Synthesis (December, 2009)

Cambridge Systematics has prepared memo synthesizing data used in the Freight System Planning Recommendations Project.  The memo is posted below.  Several maps included in the synthesis are also posted below.

Data Synthesis

 Maps:

 Regional Rail Volumes 
 Regional Truck Volumes 
 Regional Water Freight Tonnage 
 Chicago Midway and Surroundings 
 Regional Rail Density 
 Major Rail-Truck Delays 
 Access to Transcontinental Rail Lines 
 Major Truck-Rail Safety Conflicts 
 Peak Travel Time Index 
 Truck Parking Facilities 
 Water Freight Tonnage and Delays at Locks

Intermodal Facility-Land Use Maps:

 Chicago Region 
 Southern Cook and DuPage Counties 
 Will and Kendall Counties

Project Presentations (November, 2009)

Presentations were recently given to various forums about our Freight Systems Planning Recommendations Project.  PDF versions of the presentations are now posted here:

 Presentation by Tom Murtha to the Transportation Committee.   November 20, 2009 (pdf, 1.1MB).

 Presentation by Tom Murtha to the UIC Supply Chain and Freight Transportation Symposium.   November 17, 2009 (pdf, 2.3MB).

 Presentation by Cambridge Systematics to the CMAP Freight Committee.   November 16, 2009 (pdf, 3.9MB)

Draft Freight System Recommendations

The Freight Committee will review the following recommendations at its meeting of November 16, 2009:

Policy Recommendations 
Project Recommendations

The recommendations were generated through stakeholder outreach, technical analysis, a review of ongoing plans and programs in the region, and other sources as appropriate.  A large list was considered in the light of performance measures and stakeholder input to arrive at these preliminary recommendations.  These recommendations will be subject to further analysis and testing to determine the impact of a freight improvement program in the context of the GO TO 2040 comprehensive plan.

Preliminary Interzonal Truck Flow Estimates, 2007 and 2040

CMAP and Cambridge Systematics are reviewing and validating the following interzone truck flow estimates:

 2007 
 2040

Stakeholder Input Report

CMAP has posted the Stakeholder Input Report prepared by Cambridge Systematics in support of the Freight System Planning Recommendations project.  The information in the report was used to inform the consultants and CMAP staff of stakeholder needs in the freight system.  Many proposed projects and policies were generated using the stakeholder input process.

 Stakeholder Input Report (pdf, 885KB)
 Appendices (pdf, 4MB)

Supply Chain Management and Freight Transportation Symposium.

Registration is now open for the 2009 UIC Supply Chain Management and Freight Transportation Symposium hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Supply Chain Management and the Urban Transportation Center.  The symposium will be held at University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois Room, Student Center East Tuesday, November 17, 2009 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Keynote speakers at the event include Shailen Bhatt, the Associate Administrator for Policy and Government Affairs at the Federal Highway Administration and Bob Stoffel, Senior Vice President for Engineering, Strategy, Supply Chain and Sustainability at United Parcel Service.  Other speakers include George Billows, Executive Director of the Illinois Trucking Association and Co-Chairman of the CMAP Freight Committee, UIC Professor Kazuya Kawamura, a member of the CMAP Freight Committee, and Tom Murtha, project manager for CMAP's Regional Freight System Planning Recommendations project.   

The conference flyer is posted here:  2009 UIC Supply Chain Management and Freight Transportation Symposium (pdf, 450K).

The cost of the event is 50.00, and includes continental breakfast, luncheon and reception).  Registration is here: Conference Registration Site

Draft Freight Planning Framework (September 2, 2009)

As part of our stakeholder input process, a charette was held in August to develop a framework for our freight planning recommendations.  This framework will provide the unifying themes for the process and guidance in the development of policies and projects.  A draft of the framework document, including its relationship to the CMAP regional vision, was presented to the Freight Committee in September and is now posted.  Comments on this document are invited through September 25, 2009, directed to tmurtha "at" cmap.illinois.gov and ewitzke "at" camsys.com.   Draft Freight Planning Framework. 

Draft Policy Bundles (September 2, 2009)

Cambridge Systematics is developing policy bundles to consider in the to development of our freight planning recommendations.  These policy bundles will be analyzed in the context of the data we are collecting and the input we are receiving from stakeholders.  The bundles address freight planning in the context of the Freight Planning Framework.  The policy bundles were presented to the Freight Committee in September and are now posted.  Comments on this draft document are invited through September 25, 2009, directed to tmurtha "at" cmap.illinois.gov and ewitzke "at" camsys.com.   Draft Policy Bundles

Draft Performance Measures (September 2, 2009)

A draft list of performance measures against which we will evaluate freight planning recommendations has been developed.  Comments on this list are invited through September 25, 2009, directed to tmurtha "at" cmap.illinois.gov and ewitzke "at" camsys.com.   Draft Performance Measures.

Stakeholder Meetings Under Way (August 4, 2009)

Modal and Community Involvement. Meetings are now being held between CMAP's consultants and freight handlers, shippers, economic interests, and community groups to get input regarding current issues and needed improvements to the freight system in our region. We anticipate that these meetings will result in the identification of not only issues to be addressed, but also feasible solutions in the form of policies and projects to be implemented. Meetings will include both group interviews and individual conversations, sometimes over the phone. Consultants have already met with trucking, water, and rail system representatives. Highlights of upcoming meetings include a meeting with the CMAP Council of Mayors Executive Committee on September 15 and a meeting with the Illinois River Carriers Association on September 8.

Policymaker involvement is also under way to develop the regional freight system framework, which will set the foundation for the project. A charette will be held in August to engage policymakers.

Project Purpose:

CMAP has engaged a consultant, Cambridge Systematics, to develop expert recommendations related to the regional freight system.  These recommendations are to be developed for further consideration and adoption within GO TO 2040. The freight system recommendations are necessary to assure that freight system development is consistent with key elements of our adopted Regional Vision.  Thus, the recommendations should address mobility and economy for the freight industry and the region; safety; community development; environmental stewardship; and broad-based regional prosperity.  The recommendations will address capital needs, operations improvements, policies, and strategies.

Efficient freight movements within metropolitan Chicago are important for both our region and the nation.  According to Chicago Metropolis 2020, the value of rail shipments to, from, and through our region is $350 billion annually; the like value of truck traffic is $572 billion.  Regionally, the rail industry employs 37,000 people, while the trucking industry employs 50,000.  An efficient freight system will secure the region's place as a freight industry center, while extending the reach of the region's markets.

The impact of the freight system on communities must also be addressed in the freight system recommendations, including mitigation of existing conditions and planned improvements.  Such community needs include passenger rail, automotive transportation, walking, and bicycling.  Safety and environmental concerns will also be addressed.

Moreover, it is important to understand the freight system in its industrial context, with substantial private-sector investment and business enterprise.  This private sector activity is facilitated by and intersects with public infrastructure, transportation operations, and local communities.  Thus, the project employs expert knowledge of the freight industry, the regional transportation system, and community concerns to develop freight system recommendations.

Specific recommendations we are seeking concern truck, rail, air, and water freight transportation modes, and include infrastructure; management and operations; policies; and community mitigation strategies.  The recommendations would be adopted regionally, but implemented through private and public initiatives at the local, regional, and state levels.

Schedule:

The schedule for this project includes continuous stakeholder involvement, with substantial time for developing recommendations and reviewing policies.  Project completion is scheduled for January, 2010, in time for due consideration and inclusion of the recommendations in the GO TO 2040 plan.  The  timeline  for the project (click on the thumbnail below) prepared by our  consultant shows the key elements of the schedule.

Click on the thumbnail for the schedule graphic:

Questions to Address:

The project is expected to address the following questions:

Trucking:

T-1.   What major infrastructure investments, if any, should the region undertake to facilitate trucking in the region?  Specifically:

a.    Should the region undertake a "CREATE for Trucks" program?  If so, how should the private-sector involvement in such a program be facilitated?

b.    Should the region build truckways, truck lanes, and/or dedicated NHS freight connectors?  If so, where should these facilities be located?

T-2.   What management and operations strategies should the region undertake to facilitate trucking?

T-3.  What policies should the region adopt to facilitate trucking?

T-4.  What strategies should the region undertake to mitigate the negative impacts of existing trucking activity and trucking recommendations on local communities in our region?

T-5.   What impacts on freight flows are the recommended trucking improvements expected to bring about?

T-6.   Should passenger travel be managed to facilitate more efficient transport of goods on the region's roads?  If so, what level of management will be necessary?

Rail:

R-1.  What modifications are necessary or desirable in the CREATE Program because of recent developments, such as the acquisition of the Elgin Joliet and Eastern Railway by the Canadian National Railway?

R-2.  What effect, if any, will the freight strategies and programs of other areas, including, but not limited to, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Hampton Roads, and the Province of British Columbia, have on freight movements in metropolitan Chicago?  What improvements will be necessary to address those effects?

R-3.  More generally, what major infrastructure investments, if any, should the region undertake to facilitate freight rail in the region?

R-4.  What management and operations strategies should the region undertake to facilitate freight rail?

R-5.  What policies should the region adopt to facilitate freight rail?

R-6.  What strategies should the region undertake to mitigate the negative effects of freight rail in our communities?  For example, what specific actions should the region undertake to address highway-rail grade crossing delay, safety, and noise? 

Water: 

W-1.   What major infrastructure investments should the region undertake to facilitate water freight transportation?  For example, what modifications are necessary or desirable for the Chicago Lock (typically used for recreation, but critical for the navigation), the Port of Chicago, and the Illinois Waterway?

W-2.   What management and operations strategies should the region undertake to facilitate water freight transportation?

W-3.   What policies should the region adopt to facilitate water freight transportation?

W-4.   What strategies should the region undertake to mitigate the negative effects of water freight transportation?

Air Freight:

A-1.What major investments should the region undertake to facilitate air freight transportation?  For example, how will a South Suburban Airport impact air freight operations, and how should these operations be facilitated?

A-2.What management and operations strategies should the region undertake to facilitate air freight transportation?

A-3.What policies should the region adopt to facilitate air freight transportation?

A-4.What strategies should the region undertake to mitigate the negative effects of air freight transportation?

Economic Analysis:

E-1.  What is the itemized cost of recommended improvements?

E-2.   What are the economic benefits of recommended improvements?

E-3.   What are the international trade impacts of the recommended improvements?  Will the improvements facilitate global trade in any way?

E-4.  Should freight-related economic development in the region be focused on particular areas within the region?  If so, where in the region should such a focus take place?  How should the region set about focusing such development?

E-5.   How should the freight infrastructure, policies, and mitigation strategies be financed? 

E-6.  How will economic benefits and costs be distributed within the region?

E-7.  What net cost or benefit, if any, would accrue from freight growth occurring outside the region rather than within the region?