Integrated freight network model : a GIS-based platform for transportation analyses.

PDFTech ReportKTC -15-01/MTIC5-14-1FFreight trafficGeographic information systemsMultimodal transportationIntermodal terminalsTraffic modelsTraffic volumeGround transportationUnited StatesMultimodal Transportation and Infrastructure ConsortiumGrossardt, TheodoreRipy, JohnBlandford, BenjaminShouse, MichaelUniversity of Kentucky Transportation CenterUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionThe models currently used to examine the behavior transportation systems are usually mode-specific. That is, they focus on a single mode (i.e. railways, highways, or waterways). The lack ofintegration limits the usefulness of models to analyze the intermodal movement of freight. Thisproject developed a GIS-based model of the three primary surface modes as well as intermodalconnections. The resulting Integrated Freight Network Model (IFNM) accommodates highlydetailed about shipping costs, transfer costs, traffic volumes (including non-freight auto traffic),and network interconnectivity properties. As a proof of concept, the research team conductedan exploratory analysis that asked what the potential impact would be to Kentucky highways ifapproximately half of the freight currently transported by barges on the Ohio River were shiftedonto trucks. Coal-haul roads in the northeastern and western part of Kentucky would beparticularly hard hit by a broad scale modal shift. The IFNM highlighted that roads emanatingfrom the Western Coalfields would experience explosive growth in freight transport, with theproportion of trucks relative to overall traffic significantly increasing. Applying the IFNM to arange of freight-related transportation questions could greatly enhance system efficiencies andpositively impact local economies and environments