Annie A Protopapas

Quantifying the Public Impacts of Highway–Rail Grade Crossings on Surface Mobility: Regional Impact Model

This research developed a model to evaluate the impacts associated with delayed vehicular traffic at highway–rail grade crossings in the eight-county area surrounding Houston, Texas. Vehicle traffic data, such as average daily traffic and distributions by roadway class and hour of day, were obtained from state and local agencies. Data from the operating railroads were used to determine train operating levels on an hourly basis for each rail corridor. Grade crossing data and unit costs were obtained from public sources. The developed model calculated the quantitative and monetary costs of mobility, fuel consumption, safety, and air quality impacts associated with vehicular impedance at rail grade crossings. It defined the existing (baseline) mobility constraints associated with train operations in the study region and provided a method to compare the impacts of potential infrastructure projects, changes in train operations, or both with the public benefits accruing from those changes during 10- and 20-year periods. Public benefits can reach significant levels and may take the form of a reduction in the cost burden associated with road traffic delays induced by rail operations. The model has been applied in a regional rail freight study and has the potential for application in a host of other locations; this model will allow for the evaluation of investments in rail and highway infrastructure or operations, ultimately ensuring that public benefits are commensurate with public costs.

Transportation Rate Analysis of Waterborne Trip Movements on Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West

The limitations of and the alternative methodologies for field data collection used to estimate transportation rates from origin to destination—including transfer and handling fees—for 40 commodity movements on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West and alternative rail or truck land routings were studied. The study was intended to be a small-scale scoping exercise for the research team to benchmark more extensive efforts required to conduct future work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The study was originally intended to be based on field-collected data, but the researchers encountered stiff resistance from terminal operators when requesting cost information as well as substantial inaccuracies with the contact and ownership information contained in the trip data files and Port Series Reports of the USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center. Therefore, it was necessary to use the Barge Costing Model (BCM) and the researchers experience to develop transportation rates for most of the movements. The study found that no off-river origin or destination sites were associated with any of the movements. Barge shipment was found to be the least-cost alternative for every movement and, in most cases (38 of the 40 movements), the least-cost and most practical land-only transportation alternative to barge was rail. Detailed rate sheets for each of the 40 commodity movements were developed. The study concluded that in future research efforts, it will be vital to include barge operators in the data collection effort to verify the BCM and the researchers assumptions.

Guidebook for Conducting Local Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Studies

This report presents a user-friendly guidebook to support risk assessment, emergency response preparedness, resource allocation, and analyses of hazardous commodity flows across jurisdictions. The guidebook, which updates the U.S. Department of Transportations Guidance for Conducting Hazardous Materials Flow Surveys, is targeted at transportation planning operations staff at the local and regional levels, as well as local and regional personnel involved in hazardous materials training and emergency response. All modes of transportation, all classes and divisions of hazardous materials, and the effects of seasonality on hazardous materials movements are discussed.