Chittenden County Regional Freight Study and Plan

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Executive Summary (64 kB)	Full Report
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Purpose of Study:

Chittenden County has a well-developed freight distribution system. In recent years, however, it has had to adapt to a changing and more competitive marketplace. With the advent of new information technologies, truck containers, rail cars, and planes are increasingly viewed as mobile warehouses that feed goods into the production process or on to market shelves in "time definite" service. More than ever, "time is money." The freight system's ability to function effectively and efficiently in the changing environment will be a critical factor in Chittenden County's participation in the expanding global economy in the 21st Century. For this reason, the freight system is a special focus of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan update. In late 1999, the CCMPO began work on the first-ever Chittenden County Regional Freight Study and Plan, whose objectives are to better understand the region's existing and emerging freight movement issues and needs and logically plan for investments in the transportation system that enable us to meet our freight movement needs well into the 21st Century.

The Regional Freight Study, which was completed by Cambridge Systematics, Inc, provides valuable information on the movement of goods in and through the County by truck, rail, water and air. Before this study was completed, information on freight was almost nonexistent and consisted only of traffic counts which quantified the number and types of trucks using the highway system. The Freight Study has greatly expanded our understanding of goods movement by identifying the quantity, value and type of goods transported, their origins and destinations, and how they are moved by and between truck, rail, air and water. These data are presented from the county, state, national and international perspectives. Analyses and recommendations account for the market forces that greatly affect freight movement and consider the input gathered from stakeholders involved in the daily movement of goods such as manufacturers, large retailers, trucking companies and private railroads.

A few of the key findings, recommendations and next steps are listed below. Please download the Executive Summary or the complete report for the complete list of findings, recommendations and a comprehensive analysis of freight movement in Chittenden County.

• Chittenden County has a strong economy and is, by far, the largest shipper and receiver of freight in Vermont.
• In 1997 there were about 5.8 million tons of freight moving into, out of, and within Chittenden County. About 91 percent of this tonnage moved by truck. Rail consisted of about six percent.
• Vermont has a significant amount of through traffic (35 percent of total statewide freight flows); Chittenden County's location on I-89 and a major rail route suggests that it is experiencing a significant percent of this volume.
• Chittenden County has good access to the national/international transportation systems of air, rail, highway, and water including:

  * Burlington International Airport provides a high level of service, including dedicated overnight courier operations

  * Connections to North America's transcontinental Class I railroads

  * Access to I-89 provides good North/South service

  * Indirect access to international marine terminals such as Port of Montreal

• Transportation system infrastructure problems affecting freight movement include bottlenecks for trucks along non-interstate highways and height and weight restrictions on rail lines.
• Many of the stakeholders emphasized the need to complete the County's highway network by finishing the Circumferential Highway, Southern Connector and Shelburne Road reconstruction projects.
• Expanded rail intermodal service (trailers carried on rail cars) could provide Chittenden County businesses with more service options and divert some through truck trips to rail.

A Few of the Recommendations and Next Steps:

• Incorporate the Freight Study findings into the Metropolitan Transportation Plan update to ensure freight movement needs are addressed on a continuing basis.
• Develop freight-specific projects for funding through the CCMPO's Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) to address the infrastructure deficiencies affecting goods movement and to solidify the importance of freight in the overall project development and implementation process.
• Work with the Vermont Agency of Transportation to prepare an action plan to develop double-stack cleared rail routes in Vermont, based on required improvements in Chittenden County.
• Develop a stakeholders forum for industry representatives to provide input and expertise to freight projects on an ongoing basis.

Regional Freight Profile

In March 2000, the CCMPO and its consultant developed the Chittenden Freight Profile to get a better understanding of freight movements in Chittenden county as part of our freight plan (freight profile part1 - 1.06MB, freight profile part 2 - 1.90MB). Highlights included the following:
The top three commodities moving in Chittenden County are food or kindred products; secondary traffic; and clay, concrete, glass or stone. Together, these represent 45 percent of Chittenden’s total freight flows.

About 6 million tons of freight flow into, out of, or within Chittenden County each year, far more than in any other region of Vermont.

The vast majority of freight tonnage moving in Chittenden County is via truck (91.4%), with rail moving another 5.7%.

Although truck is the mode of choice in Chittenden County and Vermont, shippers use other modes as their operations allow.

Chittenden County’s top three trading partners are Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire, which represent over 59 percent of freight flows moving into and out of Chittenden County.

Chittenden County has access to the national/international transportation systems of air, rail, and highway:

• Burlington International Airport provides a high level of service, including dedicated overnight courier operations
• Chittenden County has rail connections to North America’s transcontinental Class I railroads
• Access to I-89 provides good North/South service

Manufacturers remain in Vermont because of the quality of life and skilled workforce.

Chittenden County is situated on a major gateway to Canada and thus has a significant volume of through traffic; in addition, Vermont has a significant amount of through traffic (24 percent of total statewide freight flows).

Challenges

Chittenden County’s population has grown 9.2 percent in the last decade, far exceeding the average growth in the Northeast; the transportation infrastructure must grow to meet this new demand.

Freight infrastructure in Vermont does not meet national industry standards for motor carriers and railroads and this impacts the access to Chittenden County.

US7 and VT22A are insufficient as a North/South highway in Western Vermont.

Major freight stakeholders are frustrated by the downplay of the importance of trucking and its connection to the economy.

For more information, contact Daryl Benoit at 802.660.4071 x12