(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)

Transcription

1 news Texas Department of Transportation (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) July 18, 2007 La Entrada Study Analyzing Trade Corridor Team examining potential impacts on existing highway network The potential of the La Entrada al Pacifico (LEAP) trade corridor in West Texas and its impacts to local and regional mobility are the focus of an ongoing study by the Texas Department of Transportation. The study, which will determine what highway improvements are needed to meet anticipated trade demand, is currently focusing on data collection and travel demand modeling, according to members of a team at work on the study. The two phases are the first of four in the study: data collection, travel demand modeling, alternatives identification/screening and a corridor development plan. Results of each step are being presented to the public at public meetings scheduled throughout the study, as well as in meetings with local citizens on a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) representing various local and regional interests. In the initial phases underway now, team members are analyzing each of the route alternatives in the region, based on demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, economic, safety, and engineering, and studying expected travel demands along these routes including commercial traffic projected for the year The La Entrada al Pacifico corridor was designated from Lamesa to Presidio by both state and federal authorities to promote commercial traffic from the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Western Mexico through West Texas. The purpose of this study is not to promote a trade corridor, said Amadeo Saenz, TxDOT s assistant director for engineering operations. It is to assess the potential of a trade corridor and forecast trade flow at the Presidio Port of Entry. Impacts of foreign imports and freight diversion from other ports of entry with Mexico will be assessed and used to determine the impact at Presidio, according to Saenz. Once a realistic trade number is determined, then and only then can local and regional impacts on the Texas roadway network be assessed, he said. If the forecasted trade flow at the Presidio Port of Entry is significant over the next 25 years, this study will help form a plan that will minimize the impacts to the area, explained Saenz. If the forecasted trade flow is relatively low, then the study will be modified to only address safety and local mobility needs. He said that the study is designed to identify existing local and regional impacts in the study area and plan for any future needs expected to occur as a result of continued growth in the region and the potential impact of trade flows from Presidio.

2 Due to funding limitations and competition from other projects statewide, a plan is needed that addresses mobility deficiencies and is sensitive to the environmental and community vision, said Saenz. We are still fairly early in the study process and no outcome has been determined, said Saenz. Public involvement is a significant part of the process and we greatly appreciate input we have received already Note to reporters: The attached report provides a more detailed look at the level of information that will be evaluated in this study.

3 The Texas Department of Transportation Transportation Planning and Programming Division, Odessa and El Paso Districts PROJECT INFORMATION La Entrada al Pacifico Corridor Feasibility Study Process Summary July 2007

4 INTRODUCTION The La Entrada al Pacifico Corridor Feasibility Study represents an effort on the part of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Planning and Programming Division, the Odessa District of TxDOT and the El Paso District of TxDOT to investigate the potential of a trade corridor in west Texas, determine its impacts to local and regional mobility and recommend improvements. The purpose of this study is not to promote a trade corridor. The original La Entrada al Pacifico (LEAP) designated corridor was founded on the potential modal interrelationships of international trade and the ability to move freight internal to Mexico and from the pacific coast ports of Mexico through the Presidio, Texas Port of Entry. While the original trade corridor has been defined by state and federal designations, other route alternatives will be analyzed as well to identify needs based on forecasted local and regional demand. TxDOT has committed to investigate the feasibility of connections between the Texas and Mexico transportation systems accessing the Mexican Pacific coast at Topolobampo. The following process is being applied to the current study. STUDY PROCESS The study process for the La Entrada al Pacifico Project includes four main pieces; Data Collection, Travel Demand Modeling, Alternatives Identification/Screening, Corridor Development Plan. Each of these areas will seek feedback from the general public as well as the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in order to communicate information, solicit feedback and adjust the study direction accordingly. Data Collection First and foremost, the LEAP Study Team is researching and developing an existing conditions baseline for the designated study area. This includes several items as listed below (but not limited to): Demographic and Socioeconomic information which includes statistics by county: historic population and population projections, employment data, disadvantaged population research, existing activity and employment centers, major transportation generators (existing and planned), intermodal facilities (existing and planned), NAFTA/international trade flow characteristics and patterns and proposed development and land use plans. Environmental Data including cultural resources, urban vs. rural land use, hazardous materials sites, threatened and endangered species, water resources, geology, floodplains, wetlands, upland vegetation resources, and potential 4(f) and 6(f) issues. Economic data including looking at trade flows and patterns between Asia, Mexico and the United States and analyzing future improvements to infrastructure in Mexico, etc. to determine probabilities of trade flow (movement of goods) shifts and how they will affect traffic flows. Safety, Engineering and Mobility Data that will include historic traffic data and future year projections, accident data, roadway/rail inventories (includes existing right of way, number of lanes, cross sectional elements, major structures inventory, at-grade railroad crossings and analysis of existing designs), obtaining road construction unit cost data, roadway operation and maintenance (O&M) cost data, rail construction and improvement cost data and researching planned highway/rail improvements. Travel Demand Modeling The LEAP Study Team is focused on the development of an accurate traffic and freight baseline to be utilized to develop year 2030 forecast volumes that reflect the impacts of all the information collected during the data collection stage. This is a critical task in the study process and requires analysis on a regional as well as a local level. The scope of this study is not only to determine the forecasted freight volume at the Presidio Port of Entry based on realistic assumptions, but to also determine the local mobility needs of cities within the study area today as well as in the future. It is the responsibility of the LEAP Study Team to develop and calibrate a multimodal traffic model for forecasting future passenger and freight traffic demand on the No-Build (as-is) network along with other build (improvements to existing or new location) alternatives. The traffic forecast will allow the team to accurately determine if improvements are needed within the study area and to recommend when those improvements will be implemented. The travel demand model (used for developing the existing and future traffic numbers) will reflect the impact of global economics and will be used to assess needs in the study area. In order to assess these needs, the study team will investigate how and where goods are traveling and how and where they will travel in the future. The LEAP Study Team process will be applied to accurately assess the impacts of several key drivers including, but not limited to: Port of Entry (POE) Freight Diversion from other area Ports of Entry o Congestion level/process time/wait time at potentially competing POEs

5 o Distance/travel time from various key origins/destinations to other POEs and Presidio POE o Influence of other POEs (Santa Teresa, El Paso, Fabens, Zaragoza, Laredo, Del Rio, Eagle Pass) o Future potential and planned expansion of other and Presidio POEs Port of Long Beach (PLB) and Port of Los Angeles (PLA) trade diversion o Congestion and capacity at PLB and PLA o Future Expansion plans at PLB and PLA (Port & Roadway) o Distance/travel time from PLB/PLA to Texas o Influence of other competing seaports (Mexican Pacific Coast, Houston, Baja) o Distribution of diverted trade traffic to other Mexican seaports This element will evaluate the impacts to the study considering a scenario with and without improvements at Topolabampo o Expansion plans and capacity of Mexican seaports o Mexican Customs, procedures and infrastructure Internal Mexico trade generation o Impact of Mexican economy and industry on cross-border trade o Maquiladoras impacts on POE crossing o Transportation labor market and other transportation sensitive economic sectors o Competition with other POEs Panama Canal expansion and anticipated impacts on Mexican ports and PLB and PLA freight flows After accurate assumptions are determined for these key drivers a realistic model can be developed to determine the impact at the Presidio POE and in turn the impacts to the Texas roadway network. Feedback from the Technical Advisory Committee will be essential at this stage of the project in order to get feedback on the assumptions made in the economic and freight analysis. By soliciting this feedback at this early development stage, a transparent process is put in place that openly discusses assumptions and makes necessary changes prior to the alternatives screening process. Alternatives Identification/Screening Once the study team knows the travel demand and probability that the demand will come to fruition, local and regional mobility needs can be assessed. If the forecasted number developed at the Presidio POE is relatively low, alternatives may only include safety improvements and other minor improvements to address existing transportation needs. If the number is relatively large then a more extensive set of improvements will be identified. After travel demand forecasts are developed, an alternative analysis will be conducted to identify, compare and select feasible corridors/alternatives with respect to public involvement, environmental, mobility, engineering and economic considerations. Evaluation criteria will be developed under each of these categories that will be used to guide the process. The LEAP Study Team is just beginning the development of these criteria to be used. Some examples of environmental criteria are cultural impacts, social and quality of life impacts and land use impacts. Public involvement is a critical component of the feasibility process and will play a large role in the screening process. Localized screening criteria can emerge based on the public s input. Examples of mobility criteria are travel times, safety and connectivity. Engineering criteria includes items such as distance or length, improvement or alternative cost (engineering and construction), topography and ability to meet current engineering design standards. Economic criteria will evaluate the impact to local tourism and economic development. These are just examples of the screening criteria that could be developed within the Feasibility Study process. If the travel demand model depicts minimal or no need for improvements to be made, the report documentation will reflect such results and would recommend a No-Build alternative. A No-Build alternative will be carried forward and analyzed throughout the preliminary alternative analysis stage. If the travel demand forecast supports the No-Build option, it is still a possibility minor improvements could be recommended such as passing lanes and shoulder widening for enhancing safety and mobility. Once the forecasted traffic is determined, an assessment of reliever routes around key cities/towns may be explored in order to address any existing or projected local mobility concerns along the corridor. Based on the outcome of the travel demand forecasting and the alternative analysis process, a corridor development plan will be developed in order to prioritize any needed improvements. In addition, thresholds will be established that will provide criteria for when a particular level of improvement may be implemented. Public Involvement Public involvement is a significant element in the La Entrada al Pacifico Study and has already provided useful feedback and resulted in framing the current study. The La Entrada al Pacifico Study will include three Public Meetings at key points during the study. The first Public Meeting, held in March of this year, was a general information gathering meeting and led to the development of Conceptual Alternatives to consider once the traffic data has been collected. Public Meeting #2,

6 scheduled for this fall, will present the data collected for the study and present alternatives that have been screened down to recommended viable alternatives based on the information collected and the traffic data that was generated. This Public Meeting will also identify potential improvements that address safety and local mobility concerns. Public Meeting #3 will present the screening of the Viable Alternatives and the recommended alternative for further consideration. In addition, this final Public Meeting will also present recommendations to safety and local mobility concerns along the corridor. SUMMARY In summary, it is an important distinction to understand that this study will identify potential impacts of a trade corridor on West Texas, not promote it. The study will take a realistic look at the potential for freight movement through the study area and determine what level of improvements are required in order to effectively invest transportation improvement dollars in Texas. Whether this study is continued or not, there may be existing local mobility needs that need to be addressed as well as future needs that should be planned for. The Study Team was asked how the La Entrada al Pacifico project addresses the Five TxDOT Goals: 1. Reduce Congestion The La Entrada al Pacifico project will evaluate the forecasted traffic numbers, determine where congestion concerns may occur and propose solutions to reduce that congestion. 2. Improve Air Quality Based on the traffic numbers generated by this study, strategies for minimizing the impacts on air quality will be considered by addressing local and regional mobility needs today as well as in the future. 3. Improve Safety Regardless of the forecasted traffic numbers, there are several areas along the corridor that need to be evaluated in order to improve the overall safety of the corridor. 4. Expand Economic Opportunity This study will consider the impacts that trade traffic may have on local and regional economies including business development and impacts to tourism. 5. Increase the Value of the Transportation Asset This study will look at ways to efficiently move people and goods throughout the study area in support of the communities that it serves.