Jolanda Prozzi

Evaluating the Effect of Natural Gas Developments on Highways

The natural gas reserve in the Barnett Shale geological formation is one of the largest onshore natural gas reserves in the United States. The development of a natural gas well is a traffic-intensive operation that involves high volumes of truck traffic; saltwater traffic generated during the production phase is a major contributor to truck volume. The effect of traffic related to the natural gas industry on Texas highways is quantified. The oversized and overweight database maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) was used to quantify several key characteristics of the rig traffic. In addition, personnel from the Texas DOTs Fort Worth District provided critical information about construction and saltwater traffic, including truck types used, gross vehicular weights, number of trips, and haul distances. Pavement sections were located along the busiest trucking corridors to evaluate damage caused by the truck traffic associated with natural gas development. Results indicated the approximate damage due to rig traffic was 1.6%, to construction traffic was 13%, and to saltwater traffic was 6%, relative to the damage caused by design traffic in terms of rutting. Additional damage caused by the natural gas truck traffic translated into reduced service life for pavements in the region. Results indicated a reduced service life of approximately 5.6%, 29%, and 16% associated with rig, construction, and saltwater traffic, respectively, in terms of rutting.

Secret Lives of Containers: Evidence from Texas

In 2000, the Texas Department of Transportation contracted with the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the University of Texas, Austin, to analyze containerized freight movements in Texas. Although aggregate data are available on the container sector and global movements, including data on container manufacturing, steamship companies, container routes, vessel capacities, and costs and supply chains, little information is available on container movements in the United States. To shippers and those directly involved in the container sector, some data on container movements in the United States—including route choice—are available. However, for those involved in freight planning at the state level, such information remains somewhat of a mystery. To fill this void, the CTR research team sought the assistance of various transportation stakeholders involved in containerized freight movements in an effort to characterize and gain a better understanding of this important and growing component of the freight sector. A total of 31 telephone interviews were conducted, involving 3 major ocean carriers, 12 trucking companies, 8 freight forwarders, 7 container leasing companies, and 1 railroad representative. Questions addressed container ownership, liability at different stages of a movement, benefits of different types of leases, container tracking (state of practice), transfer costs, security risks, and the outcome of a container at the end of its useful life. This study provides planners and those outside the industry with information on this dynamic sector and likely future changes.

Environmental Justice Concentration Zones for Assessing Transportation Project Impacts

Environmental justice (EJ) becomes a concern when minority or low-income communities (referred to as EJ populations) are disproportionately affected by transportation projects. The disproportionate impacts may relate to social, economic, or environmental burdens that EJ populations living in affected project areas will be forced to endure. An important component of any EJ assessment methodology is therefore the identification of EJ communities in a project area. The conventional approach classifies communities by means of threshold values into target and nontarget EJ populations. Research has demonstrated, however, that threshold values are largely influenced by the chosen community of comparison. In addition, the spatial distribution of target and non-target EJ populations within the affected area changed when the scale of geographic analysis changed. Because it has been argued that effective EJ analysis should consider all minority and low-income population groups regardless of their size, this research...

Sustainability of Rural Road Network Given Changing Demands of Rural Agriculture: Evidence from Texas

Over the past two decades, the changing transport demands of agriculture and rural industry and the strategic rail decisions that resulted in the abandonment of many rural rail links have had severe impacts on rural road infrastructure. As larger and heavier trucks haul products over longer distances on rural pavements, the financial ability of the state and local governments to maintain and improve the rural road network has been diminishing. Clearly there is a need to recognize the significance of the agriculture–transport relationship and to determine the impacts on rural roads associated with major agricultural traffic generators to ensure the sustainability of rural road networks. Evidence of the increased truck volumes associated with industrialized agriculture and strategic changes in the rail industry is provided through a case study of the grain industry, with specific emphasis on the production and consumption of corn in Texas. A methodology is suggested to quantify the impacts of increased truck volumes and axle loads on rural pavements that were not designed or built to accommodate more and heavier axle loads. It is believed that a simple methodology to quantify pavement damage can be invaluable to demonstrating rural maintenance needs and to informing rural transport investment decisions.