Section 9 MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT 9.0 Introduction The long-range plan includes both long-range and short-range strategies/actions that lead to the development of an integrated intermodal transportation system that facilitates the efficient movement of people and goods. Intermodalism attempts to help all modes work better by providing cross-modal connections to the transportation system. Currently, the urban area has excellent linkage between the Huntsville International Airport and the highway system via I-565. The International Intermodal Center (IIC) is located at the airport and is connected by spur to a main line of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. There is currently no direct connection to the Tennessee/Tombigbee Waterway approximately 5.5 miles south of the airport at the Tennessee River. A River Port Development Study was conducted during 2000 identifying potential locations for river terminal sites in Huntsville, important to capture additional economic markets. As a result of this study, property was acquired for future port development. Cargo waterway service is available in nearby Decatur offering barge service for bulk commodities and general cargo providing access for customers to the IIC and I-565. A major concern in the Tennessee Valley has been the lack of limited access interstate highway facilities connecting the Huntsville urban area with major cities to the east and west, Memphis, Atlanta and Chattanooga. The area has been essentially left out of the interstate system since the system was designed before Huntsville grew to become a major urban area. Studies have been conducted to determine the best feasible route to connect the Huntsville urban area with Memphis, Atlanta and Chattanooga. At the present time, a route is under review, and funding for the project is pending. Conventional inter-city passenger rail service should receive further consideration at the state level. Preliminary studies have previously been conducted with Amtrak concerning passenger service between Huntsville and Birmingham. However, during the past several years, the company has struggled with insolvency, and Amtrak has indicated that it will not be adding any new service to the system in the near future. The categories that follow explain the various modes of transportation that are either available or being investigated in the region. 9-1 9.1 Airports The Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority (HMCAA) is a public corporation owning and operating Huntsville International Airport, International Intermodal Center, Jetplex Industrial Park, as well as Foreign Trade Zone No. 83. These properties – located on more than 6,000 acres – are valued in excess of $1 billion. Huntsville International Airport, with its state-of-the-art amenities, is located just 12 miles from downtown Huntsville. The airport has parallel 10,000-foot and 12,600-foot runways with a 5,000-foot separation, allowing simultaneous approaches even during inclement weather. Air traffic operations to date are 60,000 annually with passenger traffic exceeding 1.25 million (enplaned and deplaned passengers) and air cargo activity of more than 150 million pounds per year (refer to Table 9.1 and Table 9.2). The International Intermodal Center will handle over 45,000 ocean containers and railroad truck load shipments this year. Cargo services via air and rail will serve over 1,000 industries. Air cargo services already in place at Huntsville International Airport include 7-12 weekly scheduled non-stop international cargo flights to Mexico and Europe – with previous and anticipated future service to Asia – as well as daily flights by three major all-air cargo carriers via their hubs in the U.S. With the anticipated future service to the Asian market, Huntsville International is focusing its efforts to become the Southeastern US gateway for the Asian cargo industry. To aid in these efforts, a new 90,000-square-foot air cargo facility was added in April 2009. The new facility will include 5,250 square feet of cold storage area to handle perishable products. The new facility increases total air cargo building space at Huntsville International Airport to 290,000 square feet. Table 9.1: Passengers and Revenue Tons, Calendar Year 2008 Huntsville International Airport Enplaned Deplaned Total Total Freight Carrier Passengers Passengers Passengers (lbs.) Allegiant Air 11,833 11,489 23,322 0 American (including American Eagle) 117,299 117,915 235,214 2,983 Delta (including ASA, Chautauqua) 168,620 166,970 441,469 323,935 NW Airlink 64,801 63,003 127,084 20,420 PSA/USAir Express 126,266 125,315 251,581 30,938 Comair & Freedom 52,351 53,528 105,879 3,925 Continental Express 36,062 36,550 72,612 8,323 United Express 50,064 50,644 100,708 0 Charter 1,010 1,025 2,035 0 Total 628,306 626,439 1,254,745 390,524 Source: Huntsville International Airport 9-2 Table 9.2: All-Cargo Carrier Activity Summary, Calendar Year 2008 Huntsville International Airport Cargo Carrier In (lbs.) Out (lbs.) Airborne Express 2,070,530 0 Air Carriers, Inc 856,296 2,319,500 Panalpina 67,895,910 75,711,392 ATI/BAX Global 0 0 Federal Express 1,187,521 8,985,713 Ameriflight/DHL 0 2,500 Baron Aviation Service 0 1,990 UPS 0 2,457,086 Non-permitted Carriers 95,656 607,268 GRAND TOTAL 72,105,913 90,085,449 *Includes Cargolux/Atlas/MK Air/Aero Union/Atlas Source: Huntsville International Airport U.S. Customs and Border Protection have offices in the International Intermodal Center, where it oversees the transportation and inspection of the above-mentioned cargo. It collects over $50 million annually in import duty taxes, making the inland Port of Huntsville – located at the Huntsville International Airport – the second-largest port in the state of Alabama. Foreign Trade Zone No. 83, located at the Port of Huntsville, includes the Jetplex Industrial Park and the Mallard Fox Creek Industrial Park and Port in Decatur, AL. Operated by the Huntsville Foreign Trade Zone Corporation, this service-plus entity provides technical expertise on regulatory Customs issues, as well as money savings from duty exemptions. 9-3 This page intentionally left blank. Figure 9.1: Huntsville International Airport Master Plan 9-4 9.1.1 Airport Passenger & Cargo Hubbing The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) latest aviation forecast includes data for 2005-2017. While the acts of terrorism that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001, impacted the aviation industry, the market has rebounded since then only to be recently impacted by the price of fuel and the economy. Even with these factors, commercial aviation remains on track with passengers to exceed one billion by 2015, which represents an annual 3.2% growth rate. International travel is growing about 2% faster than domestic travel. In addition, total air cargo tonnage is expected to increase by 83% from 2005-2017 with domestic growth at a rate of 3.2% and international tonnage increasing by 6.2% annually. The trend of opening up markets worldwide will impact the movement of freight around the world but freight has been the most affected by the downturn in the economy. As the nation's air traffic continues to increase, new connecting passenger and cargo hubs must be found to relieve congestion at the overcrowded airports. Shrinking federal resources should cause the aviation industry to concentrate on utilizing available capacity before building new airports. As a result, Huntsville International Airport is a prime candidate for a potential connecting hub. Hubbing operations at Huntsville International Airport would significantly increase the volume of aircraft flights and ground transportation activity, thus solidifying the need to invest in aviation and transportation infrastructure in order to support the future needs of our community. Currently, Huntsville International is operating at less than 30% of its capacity and has an excess capacity of 219,000 operations per year as determined by the FAA Office of Capacity. To protect future growth potential, the HMCAA continues to pursue an aggressive land acquisition program, which will make the Port of Huntsville complex approximately 10,000 acres. The Airport Layout Plan reflects parallel 12,600 feet and 10,000 feet runways with the ability to expand to a total of five parallel runways as depicted in the master plan (Figure 9.1). The Huntsville International Airport is strategically located between Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, and Nashville, making it an attractive transfer point for the Southeastern United States. Airport hubs develop where demand and airline revenue dictate such a need – "where people live." Within a 50-mile radius of Huntsville International Airport, there are 1 million people. If the radius is moved to 100 miles, the population increases to approximately 4.2 million. This is a larger population than the 100-mile radius around Nashville or Birmingham. Huntsville International also serves an international community. The presence of many international companies has been a driving force in continuous economic growth in North Alabama. The Jetplex Industrial Park is home to L.G. Electronics, the first Korean manufacturing operation located in North America. In Madison County alone, there are 46 foreign-based corporations. These include representation from Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and South Africa. Huntsville/Madison County's population base has its origin from nearly 100 countries. There are several international schools in place as well as the very active North Alabama International Trade Association. Services already in place at Huntsville 9-5 International include U.S. Customs Port of Entry, Foreign Trade-Zone No. 83, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and weekly scheduled international cargo flights to Europe and Mexico. The world-class International Intermodal Center combines air, rail, and highway modes of transportation and more than 90% of all cargo at the Intermodal Center has an international origin or destination.