H-GAC Regional Goods Movement Plan Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 What Is Goods Movement in the H-GAC Region? ................................................... 1-1 2.0 Goods Movement in the Region Today ...................................................... 2-1 2.1 H-GAC Freight System Overview ............................................................................ 2-1 2.2 Freight Significant Corridors and Facilities ............................................................. 2-18 2.3 Commodity Flow Patterns ......................................................................................... 2-20 2.4 Key Industries .............................................................................................................. 2-28 3.0 Key Trends Impacting Goods Movement in the Region ............................. 3-1 3.1 Employment and Population Growth ...................................................................... 3-1 3.2 International Trade ..................................................................................................... 3-5 3.3 Supply Chains .............................................................................................................. 3-8 3.4 Transportation Industry Trends ................................................................................ 3-10 3.5 Regulations and Policy ............................................................................................... 3-12 4.0 Key Issues and Challenges ......................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Growth Will Strain the Condition and Performance of the Regional Freight System ............................................................................................................. 4-1 4.2 Managing Existing Capacity and Adding New Capacity to the System Is Difficult ..................................................................................................................... 4-11 4.3 There Are Community and Environmental Issues That Will Impact Freight Investments .................................................................................................... 4-15 4.4 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 4-21 5.0 Solutions and Recommendations ............................................................... 5-1 5.1 Short-Term Program ................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Long-Term Actions ..................................................................................................... 5-15 5.3 An Integrated Approach ............................................................................................ 5-18 A. Intermodal Connector Screening Process ................................................... A-1 A.1 Intermodal Connector Screening Process ................................................................ A-2 B. Regional Goods Movement Steering Committee ....................................... B-1 B.1 Purpose of Committee ................................................................................................ B-1 B.2 Membership ................................................................................................................. B-1 The Cambridge Systematics Team i H-GAC Regional Goods Movement Plan List of Tables 2.1 Listing of National Highway System Intermodal Connectors H-GAC Region .................................................................................................................... 2-14 2.2 FMCSA-Designated Hazardous Materials Routes ...................................................... 2-15 2.3 FMCSA-Restricted Hazardous Materials Routes ......................................................... 2-16 3.1 H-GAC Region Employment Forecast 2010-2040 ............................................................................................................................ 3-2 3.2 H-GAC Region Employment in Freight-Dependent Industries 2007 and 2035 ..................................................................................................................... 3-3 4.1 Freight Interchange Bottleneck Locations in the H-GAC Region .............................. 4-3 4.2 Priority Intermodal Connectors and Freight Impacted Roads ................................... 4-6 5.1 Possible Solutions to Improve Priority Intermodal Connectors and Freight Impacted Roads ........................................................................................... 5-5 5.2 Example Freight Performance Measures to Align with National Transportation Goals ........................................................................................................ 5-14 The Cambridge Systematics Team iii H-GAC Regional Goods Movement Plan List of Figures 2.1 H-GAC Regional Multimodal Freight Transportation System .................................. 2-2 2.2 H-GAC Region Highway Network ................................................................................ 2-4 2.3 Average Daily Level of Service 2009 .............................................................................. 2-5 2.4 Houston Rail Network ..................................................................................................... 2-7 2.5 H-GAC Ports and Waterways ......................................................................................... 2-9 2.6 H-GAC Regional Airports ............................................................................................... 2-11 2.7 H-GAC Pipeline Network ............................................................................................... 2-13 2.8 Hazardous Materials Routes ........................................................................................... 2-17 2.9 Freight-Significant Corridors and Facilities .................................................................. 2-19 2.10 Expected Growth of Regional Freight Flows By Weight, All Modes (Excluding Pipeline), 2007-2035 .................................................... 2-20 2.11 Expected Growth of Regional Freight Flows By Value, All Modes (Excluding Pipeline), 2007-2035 ...................................................... 2-21 2.12 Direction of Total Freight Flows By Weight, 2007 and 2035 ......................................... 2-22 2.13 Direction of Total Freight Flows By Value, 2007 and 2035 ........................................... 2-22 2.14 Volume and Mode Share By Weight, 2007 and 2035 ..................................................... 2-23 2.15 Volume and Mode Share By Value, 2007 and 2035 ....................................................... 2-24 2.16 Trading Partners by Weight 2007 ................................................................................... 2-26 2.17 Trading Partners by Weight 2035 ................................................................................... 2-27 2.18 Relative Employment Growth in Goods Dependent and Service Industries 2000-2007 ............................................................................................................................ 2-28 2.19 Employment Growth in Top 5 Goods Dependent Industries 2000-2007 ............................................................................................................................ 2-29 2.20 Regional Goods Dependent and Service Sector Gross Regional Product Chained 2005 Dollars, 2009 ................................................................................................ 2-30 The Cambridge Systematics Team v List of Figures (continued) 2.21 Forecast Employment Growth in Goods Dependent and Service Industries 2010-2035 ............................................................................................................................. 2-31 3.1 Texas and U.S. Population Growth Rates 2000-2040 .................................................... 3-3 3.2 Population Growth in H-GAC Region 2010-2040 ......................................................... 3-4 3.3 Emerging U.S. Economic Megaregions .......................................................................... 3-5 3.4 Comparative Economic Growth Rates of U.S. and Key Trading Partners 2003-2011 ............................................................................................................................. 3-6 3.5 Global Middle Class Consumption 2000-2050 .............................................................. 3-6 3.6 Manufacturing Wage Comparisons in U.S. Dollars at Prevailing Exchange Rates .................................................................................................................. 3-9 3.7 Asia to U.S. Shipping Routes ........................................................................................... 3-12 3.8 Federal Surface Transportation Acts Since 1991 ........................................................... 3-14 4.1 Most Congested Roadways in Houston ......................................................................... 4-2 4.2 Growth in Average Annual Daily Truck Traffic, All Commodities, 2007-2035 .......... 4-4 4.3 Functionally Obsolete and Structurally Deficient Bridges in the H-GAC Region ...... 4-9 4.4 TxDOT Expenditures in H-GAC Counties, FY2008-2012 ............................................ 4-14 4.5 Population Density 2005-2035 ........................................................................................