Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront April 2017 Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront Project Manager Bill Kuttner Project Principal Mark Abbott Graphics Kate Parker-O’Toole Cover Design Kim DeLauri The preparation of this document was supported by the Federal Highway Administration through MHD 3C PL contracts #32075 and #33101. Central Transportation Planning Staff Directed by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization. The MPO is composed of state and regional agencies and authorities, and local governments. April 2017 Page 1 of 48 IPSWICH TOPS- ROCKPOR HAMILT ESSEX GLOUCESTER MIDDLE- ON TON WENHAM NORTH MANCHESTER READING DANVERS WILMING- BEVERLY TON LYNNFIELD LITTLE- READING PEABODY TON CARLISLE WAKE- BUR-LING SALEM MARBLEHEAD BOX- BEDFORD STONEHA FIELD TON SAUGUS BOR- ACTON LYNN OUGH LEXINGTON SWAMPSCOTT CONCORD WOBURN MELROSE WINCHESTER NAHANT BOLTON STOW MAY- MALDEN ARLINGTOMEDFORD NARD LINCOLN REVERE BELMONT EVERETT SOMERVILLE CAMBRIDGE CHELSEA HUDSON WALTHA SUDBURY WESTON WINTHROP WATERTOW MARLBOROUGH FRAMINGHAM NEWTON WAYLAND SOUTH-B WELLESLEY BROOKLINE OROUGH BOSTON HULL NATICK NEEDHAM ASHLAND DEDHAM SHERBORN WESTWOOD QUINCY DOVER MILTON COHAS HOPKINTON SET SCITU MEDFIELD HINGHAM HOLLISTON RANDOLPHBRAINTREE -M ATE NORWOOD OUTH MILLIS WEY CANTON NORWELL MILFORD ROCKLAND MEDWAY HOL-BR WALPOL OOK STOUGH- NORFOLK HANOVER MARSHFIELD SHARON FRANKLIN PEMBROKE FOXBOROUGH DUXBURY BELLINGHAM WRENTHAM To request additional copies of this document or copies in an accessible format, contact: Central Transportation Planning Staff State Transportation Building Ten Park Plaza, Suite 2150 Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (857) 702-3700 (617) 570-9192 (fax) (617) 570-9193 (TTY) [email protected] www.bostonmpo.org Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront April 2017 ABSTRACT The South Boston Waterfront is arguably the most intensely studied area of Boston. Both the Seaport Public Realm Plan, prepared by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 1999, and the South Boston Transportation Study, prepared by the City of Boston in 2000, envisioned strong growth in housing and non-industrial employment, and continued vitality in water-related and other industrial activities. After more than a decade of development, the South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan, in 2015, afforded an update to the earlier transportation plan. As trucking is the predominant freight mode serving the South Boston Waterfront, this report complements the two studies cited above by developing a detailed picture of truck operations in the South Boston Waterfront—analyzing the traffic volumes, travel patterns, and needs of the neighborhood. First, we defined eight distinct types, or classes, of trucks and a cordon of ten locations through which almost all truck movements into and out of the South Boston Waterfront cross. We observed trucks in each of the eight classes entering and exiting the cordon area during five specified time periods throughout the day. The results of this fieldwork represent the major findings of this report. Staff organized the truck travel data and used it to analyze current traffic and roadway issues in the study area from the perspective of the trucks that serve it. Issues analyzed from this perspective include the • increasing overall study area traffic congestion, • expanded use of the South Boston Bypass Road, • growth trends at the Conley Marine Container Terminal, and • truck volumes at Fish Pier, and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This study does not make specific recommendations, rather, it contributes additional freight and truck data and analyses, which study-area stakeholders and operating agencies may utilize when developing policies and programs within their areas of responsibility. Page 3 of 48 Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront April 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 7 1.2 Goals of the Study .............................................................................................. 8 2. Estimating Truck Volumes by Truck Type..................................................................... 9 2.1 Defining a Cordon Area ...................................................................................... 9 2.2 Descriptions of Cordon Points .......................................................................... 10 2.3 The Definition of “Truck” ................................................................................... 13 2.4 Total Daily Cordon Volumes ............................................................................. 14 2.5 Types of Trucks................................................................................................. 16 2.6 Cordon Volumes by Truck Type ....................................................................... 19 3. Applying Truck Data to Waterfront Planning Issues ................................................... 36 3.1 Congestion in the South Boston Waterfront..................................................... 36 3.2 Growth in Ocean Shipping ................................................................................ 37 3.3 Other Planning Issues ...................................................................................... 45 4. Summary and Conclusions .......................................................................................... 46 TABLE 1 All Trucks .................................................................................................... 15 TABLE 2 Truck Classification Groups ....................................................................... 17 TABLE 3 Two-way Truck Volumes by Cordon Point and Truck Type ...................... 18 TABLE 4 Single-Unit Box-Type Trucks (Unrefrigerated) .......................................... 21 TABLE 5 Box-Type Semi-Trailers (Unrefrigerated) .................................................. 23 TABLE 6 Single-Unit Refrigerated Trucks ................................................................. 25 TABLE 7 Refrigerated Semi-Trailers ........................................................................ 27 TABLE 8 Single-Unit Trucks: Other Configurations .................................................. 29 TABLE 9 Semi-Trailers: Other Configurations .......................................................... 31 TABLE 10 Hazardous Cargoes ................................................................................... 33 TABLE 11 Ocean Shipping Containers ....................................................................... 35 Page 4 of 48 Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront April 2017 FIGURE 1 South Boston Waterfront Cordon Area ...................................................... 11 FIGURE 2 Typical Truck with Doubled Rear Wheels.................................................. 13 FIGURE 3 Single-Unit Box-Type Trucks (Unrefrigerated) .......................................... 20 FIGURE 4 Box-Type Semi-Trailer (Unrefrigerated) .................................................... 22 FIGURE 5 Single-Unit Refrigerated Trucks ................................................................. 24 FIGURE 6 Refrigerated Semi-Trailer ........................................................................... 26 FIGURE 7 Single-Unit Trucks with Other Configurations ........................................... 28 FIGURE 8 Semi-Trailer with Other Configuration ....................................................... 30 FIGURE 9 Truck Displaying Hazardous Cargo Placards ............................................ 32 FIGURE 10 Ocean Shipping Container ......................................................................... 34 FIGURE 11 Trucks Going to Conley Terminal via East First Street ............................. 39 FIGURE 12 Locations Served by Conley Terminal Ocean Containers ........................ 42 Page 5 of 48 Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront April 2017 Page 6 of 48 Trucks in the South Boston Waterfront April 2017 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The South Boston Waterfront is arguably the most intensely studied part of the city of Boston, and to a large degree, these studies have focused on transportation. Like many urban districts, the South Boston Waterfront (the study area) owes its character largely to its location on the waterfront and proximity to Boston’s central business district. Culminating early in the last century, this waterfront area was transformed from extensive tidal flats into a working port with adjacent industrial property via an intensive landfill project. At that time, the South Boston Waterfront was connected with the rest of North America primarily by the freight rail network, along with a limited street system. By the 1970s, the containerization of ocean shipping and completion of the Interstate Highway System had fundamentally changed the nature of port operations and the geographical distribution of industrial activity. The South Boston Waterfront, wedged between Boston’s central business district and a residential neighborhood, already had declined into mostly underutilized land and would now be transformed into something entirely new. Once again, the character of the South Boston Waterfront would be shaped