Planning for container growth along the Houston ship channel and other Texas seaports.

PDFTech ReportFHWA/TX-07/0-5068-20-5068ContainersChannels (Waterways)SeaportsVolumeMarine terminalsDrayageLabor forceTransportation planningTexasUniversity of Texas at Austin. Center for Transportation ResearchHarrison, RobertHutson, NathanSiegesmund, PeterBlaze, JamesWest, JasonUniversity of Texas at Austin. Center for Transportation ResearchTexas. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation OfficeUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionStudy 0-5068 examined corridor improvement initiatives at all Texas seaports contemplating future container operations, with a primary focus on rail systems and current facilities under the Port of Houston Authority (POHA). This is the final study report and first estimates the volume of containers that could be handled by Port of Houston (POHA) terminals from 2004 to 2020. It then describes the Port Terminal Railroad Association (PTRA), which operates its own network and serves more than 173 major industrial sites and terminals along the Houston Ship channel. Next, it examines Houston issues related to highway movement of containers from the POHA terminals. The pattern of distribution centers in Houston serving as the most common first landside destinations for POHA containers is then described. A survey of the Houston dray industry and its driver workforce is then reported. Since other deep-water Texas Gulf locations may have container terminals in future, consideration is given to the proposed terminals at Corpus Christi and Texas City. Finally, conclusions and recommendations from the two-year study are given, emphasizing issues most likely to impact transportation planning and programming in Texas