C H A P T E R 6 : INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION CHAPTER CONTENTS Truck Air and Passenger Air Intercity Bus Rail Government Air Intermodal Passenger Rail Waterborne Freight Recommendations Chapter 6: Intermodal Transportation emphasizes on freight transportation. Throughout the ten sections in this chapter, freight transportation, truck, rail, passenger rail, air and passenger rail, Government air, waterborne freight, intercity bus, intermodal, and a series of short and long- term policy recommendations are discussed. T RUCK C U R R E N T F ACILITIES Interstate 29 is the major transportation route going through SIMPCO’s MPO planning area. I- 29 provides a north/ south route for automobile, truck, and bus traffic from Sioux City into North and South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and Missouri. It connects with I-90 to the north at Sioux Falls, I-80, and I-35 at Omaha and Kansas City, respectively. Other interstates that primarily serve the MPO include I-129, US 20, US 75, and US 77. US 75 and US 77 run north/south through Iowa and Nebraska, and US 20 runs east/west across Iowa and Nebraska. Figure 6.1 provides a summary of the major highways in the metropolitan area and regional connections these highways provide. Figure 6.1: SIMPCO Metropolitan Area Major Arterials and Connected Cities 75 77 Fargo, ND Fort Dodge, IA I-90 Sioux Falls, SD Dubuque, IA Le MArs, IA Omaha, NE Roclford, IL Omaha, NE Kansas City, MO I-39 / I-90 Lincoln, NE SIMPCO MPO’s 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan 6-1 C H A P T E R 6 : INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION TRUCK TRAFFIC The trucking industry is privately owned and operated, therefore, the MPO can only provide a general overview of trucking activity in the region. There are several meat processing plants in vicinity, resulting in a large percentage of truck traffic transporting live animals to be slaughtered and processed. Such trips are approximately 100 miles, traveling from neighboring farms in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. As with any metropolitan area, the other major freight category includes traffic servicing the consumptive needs of the MPO area itself with commodities such as: foodstuffs, electronics, manufactured furniture, clothing, and other products. Le Mars, IA, located northeast of Sioux City, is home to Wells Dairy and major dairy products are transported on the primary network throughout the MPO area. These products are transported in all directions of the United States and overseas via airports such as Eppley Airfield in Omaha, NE. Corn, soybeans, fertilizers, and other agricultural commodities, as well as manufactured items, are frequently transported throughout the MPO area. Long distance truck transportation poses additional demands on the region’s roadways. As mentioned above, I-29 serves the region and is a major corridor not only for the MPO region but also for NAFTA traffic from Mexico and the Southeast, to central and western Canada. This traffic is anticipated to grow, particularly with the rise of Alberta as a significant energy and manufacturing center. Truck traffic from Minnesota to the Southwest and Mexico also places heavy demands, particularly along the Iowa Highway 60 corridor. Freight facilities and warehouses within the region include Big Soo Terminal, Burlington Junction Railroad, Cloverleaf Cold Storage, L.G. Everist, Le Mars Public Storage Inc., Big Soo Warehouse, Heyl Truck Lines, Jacobson Companies, and Nor-Am Cold Storage. Table 6.1: 2018 Domestic Freight Flow (truck and all modes) Domestic Inbound Freight: Units in thousands of tons Rank Truck All Modes #1 Cereal Grains 1,740.77 Cereal Grains 1,817.03 #2 Gravel and Crushed Stone 1,237.53 Gravel and Crushed Stone 1,314.49 #3 Other Agricultural Products 813.74 Other Agricultural Products 842.08 #4 NonMetallic Mineral Products 737.26 NonMetallic Mineral Products 758.49 #5 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 644.89 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 701.31 Domestic Outbound Freight: Units in thousands of tons Rank Truck All Modes #1 Cereal Grains 2,042.01 Cereal Grains 2,219.97 #2 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 770.07 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 1,240.21 #3 Other Chemical Products 674.29 Animal Feed and Products of Animal Origin 727.61 #4 Animal Feed and Products of Animal Origin 595.43 Other Chemical Products 679.02 #5 NonMetallic Mineral Products 568.34 NonMetallic Mineral Products 610.36 Source: Iowa DOT Map 6.1 is a representation of trucking throughout the SIMPCO MPO. The truck annual average daily traffic (AADT) is represented by increasing thickness of line representing increasing AADT. The truck routes throughout the MPO area have a high AADT of just over 6,000 interstates, highways, and major arterials. SIMPCO MPO’s 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan 6-2 C H A P T E R 6 : INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION SIMPCO MPO’s 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan C H A P T E R 6 : INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION Table 6.2: Yearly comparisons of Total Domestic Freight Flow Total Domestic Freight, All Modes: Units in thousands of tons Top Commodity Groups in 2007 Top Commodity Groups in 2018 Top Commodity Groups in 2040 Commodity Commodity Commodity #1 Cereal Grains 3,714 #1 Cereal Grains 4,037 #1 Cereal Grains 4,684 #2 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 1,575 #2 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 1,942 #2 Other Prepared Foodstuffs, Fats and Oils 2,675 #3 Gravel and Curshed Stone 1,549 #3 Gravel and Curshed Stone 1,655 #3 Other Chemical Products 2,148 #4 NonMatallic Mineral Products 1,195 #4 NonMatallic Mineral Products 1,369 #4 Gravel and Curshed Stone 1,867 #5 Animal Feed and Products of Animal Origin 1,123 #5 Animal Feed and Products of Animal Origin 1,341 #5 Animal Feed and Products of Animal Origin 1,775 #6 Other Agricultural Products 842 #6 Other Chemical Products 1,197 #6 Other Agricultural Products 1,758 #7 Fertilizers 770 #7 Other Agricultural Products 1,147 #7 NonMatallic Mineral Products 1,717 #8 Other Chemical Products 722 #8 Fertilizers 666 #8 Waste and Scrap 753 #9 Natural Sands 516 #9 Natural Sands 581 #9 Natural Sands 709 #10 Coal 392 #10 Waste and Scrap 503 #10 Live Animals and Fish 540 INRIX traffic data and Iowa DOT traffic counts were used to identify highway freight bottlenecks. INRIX has a Bottleneck Ranking tool that uses recorded speeds, acquired by tracking cell phone and global positioning systems data, to determine if a section of roadway is indeed a bottleneck. Bottleneck conditions are determined by comparing the current reported speed to the reference speed for each segment of road. Reference speed values are provided for each segment and represent the 85th percentile observed speed for all time periods with a maximum value of 65 mph. If the reported speed falls below 60 percent of the reference, the road segment is flagged as a potential bottleneck. If the reported speed stays below 60 percent for five minutes, the segment is confirmed as a bottleneck location. Locations were considered freight bottlenecks if they were identified by INRIX and also had at least 30 percent truck traffic or 5,000 trucks per day. There are two locations identified within the MPO area: I-29 N/S @ I-129/U.S. 20/U.S. 75/exit 144 and I-29 N/S @ Old Iowa 75/Industrial Rd/exit 143. Including a total of 3-4 locations identified in Woodbury County: I- 29 N/S @ I-129/U.S. 20/U.S. 75/exit 144, I-29 N/S @ Old Iowa 75/Industrial Rd/exit 143, I-29 N/S @ exit 134, and I-29 N/S @ Iowa 141/exit 127. More in depth information about bottleneck locations can be found in the State Freight Plan on pages 123-127. C H A L L E N G E S Based on FHWA estimates, Iowa’s transportation system facilitated the movement of approximately 1.1 billion tons of freight with an estimated value exceeding $563 billion to, from, and within the state in 2012. The State Freight Plan indicates that a total value of goods imported into and exported out of Iowa is expected to grow from $468 billion in 2012 to $715 billion (a growth of 52.6 percent) in 2040. Freight that has both an origin and destination in the state is expected to grow by 27.8 percent in weight and 30.5 percent in value from 2012 to 2040. A total of 48.9 million tons worth $32 billion is projected to travel to, from, and within the Sioux City region by 2045. Highway freight is expected to comprise a slightly smaller share of overall value, from 77 percent in 2014 to 73 percent in 2045. SIMPCO MPO’s 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan 6-4 C H A P T E R 6 : INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION Many of the SIMPCO region’s roads, bridges, railways, barge terminals, and other infrastructure critical to the movement of freight are in need of significant structural improvements. In a study done by Transportation for America in 2013, Iowa’s bridges ranked the third-worst nationally in terms of the overall percentage of structurally deficient bridges. However, major roads used to transport freight have improved greatly in the SIMPCO MPO in the last 20 years. In 2020 there was a pandemic due to COVID-19 virus which has impacted transportation in many forms. Rural transit ridership has fallen 85-90%, with a similar decrease for the metro transit ridership. Statewide traffic data has shown a significant reduction in travel of 47%. The impact to air travel has been similar to what is seen in transit, and there is an ongoing issues with freight movement that has been exacerbated by the current situation (higher demand than ability to move supply).