MPO *************************** 3:00 29, 2014 *************************** TENTATIVE AGENDA

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1 NOTICE OF MEETING Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Freight Roundtable *************************** 3:00 p.m., Thursday, January 29, 2014 Des Moines Area MPO Burnham Conference Room *************************** TENTATIVE AGENDA 1. Call To Order 2. Welcome and Introductions 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Meeting Minutes... Page 2 Approve the December 11, 2014, meeting minutes. 5. REPORT: Des Moines Rail Port Transload Facility Update... Page 5 Update on the City of Des Moines progress on developing the Rail Port site. 6. REPORT: Freight Impediments Update... Page 6 Update on freight impediments in the Des Moines Metro. 7. REPORT: Shipping Container Coordination... Page 18 Update on the proposed CyBiz Lab shipping container coordination project. 8. Other Non-Action Items of Interest to the Committee 9. Next Meeting Date 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2015, Des Moines Area MPO Office. 10. Adjournment Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Dallas County, Des Moines, DART, Grimes, Johnston, Mitchellville, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Polk County, Urbandale, Warren County, Waukee, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights. The MPO receives federal funding and may not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, color, or national origin, according to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of For more information or to obtain a Title VI Complaint form, call

2 Agenda Report Freight Roundtable January 2015 Item No. 4 ISSUE: Approval of Meeting Minutes REPORT: Approve minutes of the December 11, 2014, Freight Roundtable meeting. BACKGROUND: The minutes of the December 11, 2014, Freight Roundtable are included on the immediately following pages. RECOMMENDATION: Approve the minutes of the December 11, 2014, Freight Roundtable meeting. STAFF CONTACT: Andrew Collings, acollings@dmampo.org; (515) FY 2015 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Please call (515) to obtain permission for use.

3 MEETING MINUTES Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Freight Roundtable (FRT) 3:00 p.m., Thursday, December 11, 2014 Des Moines Area MPO Large Conference Room The MPO Freight Roundtable (FRT) held a meeting at 3:00 p.m., on December 11, 2014, at the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization s Burnham Conference Room. Before the meeting, the MPO staff sent agenda packets to the MPO FRT representatives and posted the agenda at the MPO office on December 4, Representatives Present: Laura Hutzell, Iowa DOT Cheryl Rangel, Iowa Interstate RR John Wahlert, Bridgestone James Windsor, Citizen Doug Webb, CRINC Tim Woods, International Traders of Iowa Greg Dickinson, Merchants Distribution Rita Conner, City of Des Moines Tammy Nicholson, Iowa DOT Jack Sawyer, Des Moines Transportation Jim Martin, Diamond Oil Tiffany Melvin, NASCO Staff Present: Todd Ashby, Executive Director Dylan Mullenix, Principal Transportation Planner Zach Young, Senior Transportation Planner Andrew Collings, Association Transportation Planner 1. Call to Order Chair John Wahlert called the December 11, 2014, meeting to order at 3:01 p.m. 2. Welcome and Introductions The group introduced themselves to one another. 3. Approval of Agenda No issues were reported with the December 11, 2014 agenda. 4. Approval of Minutes It was determined that Greg Dickinson needs to be added to the September 17, 2014 meeting minutes. 5. Report: NASCO Update Tiffany Melvin, with the North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO), provided an overview of current NASCO activities and answered FRT members questions. Discussion included identifying connections between NASCO and local programs. 3 FY 2010 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Please call (515) to obtain permission for use.

4 6. Report: Des Moines Rail Port Transload Facility Update Rita Conner, with the City of Des Moines, provided the roundtable with an updated status of the Des Moines Rail Port Transload Facility. 7. Report: Shipping Container Coordination Chair John Wahlert provided an update and led a discussion on the meeting between roundtable members and Iowa State University s CyBIZ Lab officials. Discussion included the need to finalize a project description. 8. Other Non-Action Items of Interest None discussed. 9. Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 3:00 p.m. 10. Adjournment The FRT meeting was adjourned at 4:14 p.m. 4 FY 2010 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Please call (515) to obtain permission for use.

5 Agenda Report Freight Roundtable January 2015 Item No. 5 ISSUE: Des Moines Rail Port Transload Facility Update REPORT: Update on the City of Des Moines progress on developing the Rail Port site. BACKGROUND: On November 14, 2014, the Rail Port Transload Facility Committee met for the first time to discuss the development of the RFP for the rail port site in Des Moines. The meeting provided various city departments opportunity to express their concerns regarding the development of the site as a rail port. Dave Thomson with Engineered Rail Solutions provided the group with an overview of the advantages and disadvantages associated with the both the public and private ownership models. The meeting concluded with Jeff Schug providing an overview of the RFP development timeline. The timeline will include two more committee meetings. The second meeting with focus on the development of the draft RFP and the final meeting will finalize the draft RFP before presenting it to the Des Moines City Council in late January. The second committee meeting was held on Monday, December 15, RECOMMENDATION: None. Report and discussion only. STAFF CONTACT: Zach Young, zyoung@dmampo.org; (515) FY 2015 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Please call (515) to obtain permission for use.

6 Agenda Report Freight Roundtable January 2015 Item No. 6 ISSUE: Freight Impediments Update REPORT: Update on the freight impediments report. BACKGROUND: In August 2014, McClure Engineering completed a study of freight impediments for the Des Moines Metropolitan Area. The study identified locations around Des Moines that pose significant impediments to freight movements. Overall, the study identified ten locations where improvements would benefit freight in the region. Included, as a supplemental item, is the freight impediment study. Staff will provide an update on the freight impediment study and discuss how the region might begin to address the regional impediments. RECOMMENDATION: None. Report and discussion only. STAFF CONTACT: Zach Young, zyoung@dmampo.org; (515) FY 2015 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Please call (515) to obtain permission for use.

7 DES MOINES RAIL TRANSLOAD IDENTIFICATION OF TRANSPORTATION IMPEDIMENTS DES MOINES AREA MPO August, 2014 Final 7

8 The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) updated the Goods Movement report in This report included a list of the top ten freight impediments in the Des Moines region. These freight impediments were either Structurall or Operational. Structural impediments could be in the form of overpasses that are too low for trucks or trains to clear, intersections that trucks can t navigate, or bridges with weight restrictions. Operational impediments could include congested corridors with traffic volumes that impede truck movement, one-way streets that restrict access, or extended loading/ /unloading time due to roadway characteristics. A freight impedences map is shown in Figure 1. Thiss map comes from the Horizon Year 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan andd is based on the locations from the 2006 Goods Movement report. Very little information is provided in the report that identifies or describess the impedence. Therefore, each location was given a cursory field review to ascertain what actual or perceived impediment may exist. The ten locations and their potential impediments as theyy pertain to truck traffic are listed below. Figures 2.01 throughh 2.10 show the locations. 1) Euclid Avenue and 2 nd Avenue: The corner radii on the west leg of the intersection appear to be inadequately designed for truck turning traffic. A building situated in the SW quadrant of the intersectionn complicates the ability to reconstruct this corner. 2) Euclid Avenue and 6 th Avenue: The corner radii on all four quadrants are inadequate for truck traffic. Buildings are situated up against the intersection on all four corners. Left turning radii are probably less than desirable, but were not evaluated at this time. 3) East 30 th Street and Scott Avenue: Although this intersection was likely designed to the standard practices of its day, design standards and practices have evolved over time. This intersectionn does not meet today s design conventions and the span wire signal is less than ideal compared to what would be designed if it were to be installed today. Additionally, the pole and pole-mounted traffic control cabinet sits right on top of the intersection curb-line and is vulnerable to vehicles that require large amounts of room to make their right turns. 4) 2 nd Avenue Rail Bridge by Firestone: Thiss rail bridge has a height restriction and is posted at ) East 18 th Street Railroad Crossing(s) north of Market Street: Theree are multiple crossings in a 500-foot distance. The most northern crossing is a single-track; the middle crossing is a two-track crossing; and the last crossing near Market Street consists of nine tracks to cross in just over 1000 feet (measured from edge of track to edge of track). 6) Delaware Avenue and Hull Avenue: Thiss is a small intersection that was not built for truck turning movements. The NW cornerr radius was increased to accommodate wheel path tracking for right turning trucks. This is a 4-way stop controlled Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 1 8

9 intersection. Vehicle stopped at the stop signss could be nterfering with left turning truck traffic if not stopped at a sufficient distance back from the intersection. 7) 2 nd Avenue; from University Ave to Euclid Ave: This iss a 4-lane section without turn lanes. This includes no turn lanes at the signalized intersections (Aurora, Madison, Douglas, Hull, New York, Holcomb, and College). The lane widths are less than the desired 12 feet and the pavement conditions are fair as defined by their Pavement Condition Index (PCI) values. 8) NE 222 nd Street; from Broadway Ave to NE 66 th Ave: Many of the parcels of land on this section involve the use of trucks and hence there iss a large amount of truck traffic traversing NE 22 nd Street. NE 22 nd Street is a 2-lane facility without turn lanes along most of the roadway. There are turn lanes at the 54 th Street signal, at Broadway, and also at the NE 66 th Street intersection. There is one section (NE 58 th to NE 60 th St) that has been widenedd and improved beyond the typical 2-lanes. 9) I-35/80 and N 26 th Street Interstate Highway: Currently N 26 th passes over the interstate with no access to the interstate. Throughout the years interest has been expressed regarding a connectionn or access too the interstate to and from NW 26 th St/NW Morningstar Drive. 10) 2 nd Avenue at NE 66 th Avenue: While there is no impediment for vehicles traveling straight through on 2 nd Avenue, access to and from certain directions on NW 66 th is limited by the existing bridge clearance. Clearance is posted at The redesign of this interchange is being pursed and public meetings have been held regarding the alternatives for construction. Construction iss scheduled for FY In addition to the ten locations reviewed, truck routes were identified that would be the most likely candidates to carry truck traffic to/from the Des Moines Rail Port and respective origins/destinations in the region. Aside from the interstate freeways, these routes were: US 69/E 14 th /E 15 th St, 2 nd Avenue/IA 415, MLK/Fleur Dr/19 th St, Merle Hay Rd/IA 28/63 rd St, University Ave, E University Ave, Hubbell Avenue, Hickman Rd, 6 th Avenue, E 18 th St, and Scott St. A field investigation of thesee roads, or portions of these roads, was made for purposes of visually observing the general geometry and pavement conditions. The Iowa DOT Street and Highway Capital Improvement t Program was used to identify future planned improvements on each of the road segments in question. The year of the improvement and the type of improvement were noted alongside the field observations. The Iowa DOT also maintains a safety improvement candidate locations (SICL) list that identifies the 200 highest ranked intersections. This list was checked against the locations/road segments to help identify additional impediments in the region and their potential for improvement selection. Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 2 9

10 Figure 1 Freight Impedences Map Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 3 10

11 Figure 2.01 Euclid Avenue and 2 nd Avenue Figure 2.02 Euclid Avenue and 6 th Avenue Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 4 11

12 Figure East 30th Street and Scott Avenue Figure nd Avenue Rail Bridge by Firestone Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 5 12

13 Figure East 18th Street Railroad Crossing(s) north of Market Street Figure Delaware Avenue and Hull Avenue Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 6 13

14 Figure nd Avenue; from University Ave to Euclid Ave 2 nd d Avenue Figure NE 22nd Street; from Broadway Ave to NE 66th Ave NE 22 nd Street Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 7 14

15 Figure I-35/80 and N 26th Street Interstate Highway I 35/80 at NWW 26 th St Figure NE 66 th Avenue at 2 nd Avenue Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 8 15

16 Of the ten impediments listed in the Goods Movements document, only two are in the regional long range plan. SE 30 th from Scott Avenue to Vandalia Road is programmed for widening in years and it is assumed that both intersections at each end would be reconstructed with the improvement project. And NW 26 th Street at I-35/80 is programmed for the addition of an interchange in years These dates are not set firmly in place, but simply mean that regional leaders recognize and are in agreement forr the need to pursue improvements at these locations. Polk County is planning the removal of the bridge att 2 nd Avenuee and NE 66 th Avenue and plans to replace it with an at-grade intersection. Construction is set for FY That leaves seven of the impediments from the report that are not being addressed through a program. These are listed in Table 1with approximate planning level construction costs. Table 1 Non-programmed Goods Movements Truck Impediments Location Euclid Avenue and 2 nd Avenue Euclid Avenue and 6th Avenue 2nd Avenuee Rail Bridge by Firestonee East 18th Street Railroad Crossing(s) north of Market Street Delaware Avenue and Hull Avenuee 2nd Avenuee (University Ave to Euclid Ave) NE 22nd Street (Broadway Ave to NE 66th Ave) Impediment NW and SW corner radii inadequate Corner radii; all four quadrants. Height restriction of Multiple rail crossings. Corner radii in 3 of the 4 quadrants. 4-lane section without turn lanes; PCI fair ; lanes less than 12 feet. 2-lane facility without turn lanes but with a high amount of truck traffic. Potential Improvement Reconstruct NW corner. No improvements could be made withoutt purchasing the existing businesses/buildings. Reconstruct rail bridge with desired clearance. Construct a grade separation between the rails and the road. Reconstruct three quadrants with improved radii. Add left turn lanes to the signalized intersections of Aurora, Madison, Douglas, Hull, New York, Holcomb, and College. Improve this section to a similar cross-section to the one north of 66 th Street (4-lane facility with medians and left turn lanes at select intersection). Planning Level Cost $20K n/a $2..5Mil $4.1M $35K $1.8M $12.5M A field observation was completed of additional routes that would assist in moving goods to/ /from various metropolitan locations and the rail port. There iss potential for improvement on some of these routes in order to address possible impediments. A description of the improvement and an associated planning level construction cost is provided in Table 2. Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 9 16

17 Table 2 Additional Impediments Location Impediment US 69/E 14 th St. (E University to I-35/80) IA 28/Merlee Hay/63 rd at University E 18 th Scott E 18 th Maury No turn lanes from E University to I-35/80. Less than adequate radii on both corners. Truck wheel-path encroaches on pedestrian area. Corner radii. Corner radii. Planning Level Potential Improvement Cost Add turn lanes at three of the signalized intersections (Cleveland, $1.0M Washington, and Madison). Improve turning radii on NW and NE corners. Upgrade traffic S400K signals to current standards. Relocate utilities as appropriate. Minor improvements to turning $70K radii att both intersections. Some of the additional routes that were evaluated includee University,, Hubbell, and Martin Luther King (MLK)/Fleur Dr/ /19 th St. Improvements to these roadways, to correct any truck impediments, were not considered for various reasons. With no connection to I-35/80 at MLK, the focus will be on improving truck impedances on parallel routes, with any improvements on MLK/19 th Street aligning with the potential interchange construction. Thee issues to the south of downtown on MLK/Fleur Drive primarily concern the pavement condition and rough ride. This would be corrected through routine maintenance and resurfacing programs and is not considered so much a truck impedance as it affects the overall normal roadway function. A widening project is programmed for a section of University Avenue that will rectify any truck impediments that might exist on the section between 6 th Avenue and 10 th Street. University was not heavily evaluated as much of the roadway is geometrically acceptable and other functional parallel routes exist, in addition to I-235 being nearby. The completion of the SE Connectorr will eliminate the need to improve Hubbell Avenue as a route to/from the rail port to/from US 65. Therefore, truck impedances for the rail port project were not considered for Hubbell Avenue. Construction of the SE Connector is expected to alleviate some of the traffic in the downtown area and will improve the movement of trucks and their goodss while providing economic redevelopment opportunities. The SE Connector has been under construction since The roadway is open from SW 2nd Street to SE 9th Street, including dual bridges over the Des Moines River. Construction of the segment from SE 9 th to SE 15 th is currently in progress. Construction for Phase II from SE 15 th Street to US 65 is programmed for years The costss provided in Table 1 and Table 2 are preliminary ball-park figures in today s dollars. These are not intended as construction cost opinions andd are merely a demonstration of the magnitude of the potential improvements, which totals approximately $22.4 Million. (Table 1 and Table 2 combined, non-programmed improvements). Des Moines Railport Identification of Transportation Impediments 10 17

18 Agenda Report Freight Roundtable January 2015 Item No. 7 ISSUE: Shipping Container Coordination REPORT: Update on the CyBiz Lab shipping container coordination project. BACKGROUND: On November 21, 2014, several interested parties and members of the Freight Roundtable attended a meeting with Iowa State University s CyBIZ Lab to discuss a potential project regarding transloading and backhauling freight in Iowa. The CyBIZ Lab is a department that works with established businesses, startups, and non-profits by bringing in undergraduate and graduate students from multiple disciplines to work on defined projects that are agreed upon by a company/group and CyBIZ Lab. The CyBIZ lab charges a fee for services rendered which is dependent upon the size and scope of the project. Ryan Carroll, John Wahlert, and Tim Woods presented to representatives from CyBIZ Lab, which included both administration and students, regarding a proposed project that would ultimately help shippers coordinate the use of containers in order to reduce the issue of empty backhaul shipping. There was discussion regarding the identified issue, scope of project, project deliverables, and project cost. Included, as a supplemental item, is the proposed project description. An update will be provided on the proposed project description and discuss how the project description can be finalized. RECOMMENDATION: None. Report and discussion only. STAFF CONTACTS: Andrew Collings, acollings@dmampo.org; (515) FY 2015 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Please call (515) to obtain permission for use.

19 Project Request Information Company Name: Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (Non-Profit Organization) Industry: Governmental Contact Name: Andrew Collings Phone: Position Title: Associate Transportation Planner Company Address: 420 Watson Powell Jr. Way, Suite 200 City: Des Moines State: Iowa Zip: Company Website: Location: (Specify Headquarters) Same as address Number of Employees: 9-10 Annual Revenues: $1.9 million How did you hear about the CyBIZ labs program?: Website/online Project Request Information Project Request Information (please provide a summary of your business or organization, 200 words or less): We are a regional transportation planning entity comprised of local communities and transportation agencies in the Des Moines metropolitan region. We provide a regional forum to ensure coordination between the public and local, state, and federal agencies in regards to planning issues and to prepare transportation plans and programs. The Des Moines Area MPO develops both long- and short-range multimodal transportation plans, selects and approves projects for federal funding based upon regional priorities, and develops methods to reduce traffic congestion. The Des Moines Area MPO is comprised of 16 cities; DART; three associate, non-voting cities; unincorporated portions of three counties in central Iowa; and one associate, non-voting county. The Des Moines Area MPO s planning area encompasses over 500 square miles. Partner agencies include the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Des Moines International Airport, and the Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency. Project Request Information (please provide a brief description of your project, 200 words or less): In Iowa there is an issue where freight is delivered by container but then returned empty to its origin 1 19

20 terminal or depot, known as deadhead. Conversely, empty containers are coming to Iowa to pick up export freight. One reason for this is that some Ocean Carriers can only confirm that a container was delivered and is available for reloading by the containers return to the carrier s depot. Chicago, Kansas City, and Omaha deliver most of the containers and are the only intermodal hubs serving Central Iowa. Another reason is because Ocean Carriers do not coordinate with one another to identify where containers are needed. Importing companies do not want to provide detailed information about their containers because it may provide an unwanted advantage for their competitors. The majority of container information is already publically available because companies must report shipping information to the Federal government. However much of this information is decentralized and must be accessed through various departmental sites. There is the potential to reduce deadhead in Iowa by reviewing publicly available data and making it easy to access so that exporting companies can find available containers and reduce inefficient deadhead miles. Project Request Information (Please specify your objectives, deliverables, scope, and expectations from this project, 200 words or less): The objective of this project is to provide the information necessary to Iowa exporters so that deadhead miles in Iowa are drastically reduced. Deliverables for the project are in two parts. Part 1 is the identification of relevant freight data which has been reduced to only the necessary information. Part 2 is the creation of a website/page where interested parties can go to review up-to-date container data. The scope of the project will be to focus on container freight being delivered in Iowa. Project Request Information (What experience or critical skills would you desire for students assigned to this project?): Experience with logistics management is a must, as well as familiarity with gathering and sorting through government data. Website creation experience and the ability to create dynamic content are also critical. Other Information (Any special concerns or information related to the proposed project that would be important to know but may not be included in the previous sections): 2 20