Freight Planning

The effort to integrate freight planning in various metropolitan transportation planning processes has been gaining momentum since the enactment of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), in 1991, which encouraged states and MPOs to consider freight movements in their transportation planning processes.

Freight plays an important role in the economic health of our communities as well as our everyday lives. The ever-changing nature of business practices, with an emphasis on reliable, just-in-time delivery (JIT), places a premium on the efficient operation of the freight transportation system. Additionally, the globalization of the economy has further increased the importance of a region’s freight infrastructure. In Chittenden County, as in the rest of Vermont, trucks are the dominant mode of freight transportation. The 2012 Vermont Freight Plan indicates that overall freight transportation demand in Vermont is expected to grow 43 percent between 2007 and 2035, or 1.28 percent per year, which will add further pressure on our region’s freight infrastructure.

The CCRPC has been engaged in freight planning in the past and it’s committed to continue working with our municipalities, freight and other stakeholders to incorporate freight into our transportation planning processes.

CONTACT

For more information, please contact Eleni Churchill, CCRPC Transportation Program Manager, at (802) 846-4490 x *11.