Establishment of the National Freight Network |
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Victor M. Mendez
Federal Highway Administration
February 6, 2013
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8686-8689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02580]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Establishment of the National Freight Network
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice defines the planned process for the designation of
the national freight network as required by Section 1115 of the Moving
Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). This notice
defines the process for the initial designation of the primary freight
network, the designation of additional miles critical to future
efficient movement of goods on the primary freight network, and how
data on the State-designated critical rural freight corridors will be
collected.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the program
discussed herein, contact Ed Strocko, FHWA Office of Freight Management
and Operations, (202) 366-2997, or via email at ed.strocko@dot.gov. For
legal questions, please contact Michael Harkins, FHWA Office of the
Chief Counsel, (202) 366-4928, or via email at Michael.Harkins@dot.gov.
Business hours for the FHWA are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., e.t.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
You may retrieve a copy of the notice through the Federal
eRulemaking portal at: http://www.regulations.gov. The Web site is
available 24 hours each day, every day of the year. Electronic
submission and retrieval help and guidelines are available under the
help section of the Web site.
An electronic copy of this document may also be downloaded from
Office of the Federal Register's home page at: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register and the Government Printing Office's Web page at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov.
Background
Freight in America travels over an extensive multimodal network of
highways, railroads, waterways, pipelines, and airways. Freight moves
throughout the United States on 985,000 miles of Federal-aid highways,
141,000 miles of railroads, 11,000 miles of inland waterways, and 1.6
million miles of pipelines. There are over 19,000 airports in the
United States, with approximately 540 serving commercial operations,
and over 5,000 coastal, Great Lakes, and inland waterway facilities
moving cargo.
[[Page 8687]]
A significant portion of the freight moved in the United States
travels on multiple modes of transportation to reach its final
destination. While specific commodities are likely to use a particular
mode or series of modes to be moved, a complex multimodal system is
required to fully meet the growing volume of bulk and high velocity/
high value goods in the United States. Each component of the freight
transportation system must work in concert with each other to meet the
day-to-day demands of commerce.
Section 167(c) of title 23 United States Code (U.S.C.), which was
established in Section 1115 of MAP-21, directs the Secretary to
establish a national freight network to assist States in strategically
directing resources toward improved system performance for efficient
movement of freight on the highway portion of the Nation's freight
transportation system. This includes the National Highway System,
freight intermodal connectors, and aerotropolis \1\ transportation
systems.
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\1\ Aerotropolis transportation systems means a planned and
coordinated multimodal freight and passenger transportation network
that, as determined by the Secretary, provides efficient, cost-
effective, sustainable, and intermodal connectivity to a defined
region of economic significance centered around a major airport.
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Under 23 U.S.C. 167(c), the national freight network will consist
of the primary freight network, the portions of the Interstate System
not designated as part of the primary freight network, and critical
rural freight corridors. The designation of the primary freight network
will be based on an inventory of national freight volume conducted by
the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, in
consultation with stakeholders, including system users, transport
providers, and States. The primary freight network will be comprised of
not more than 27,000 centerline miles of existing roadways that are
most critical to the movement of freight, but the 27,000 mile cap may
be increased by an additional 3,000 centerline miles of existing and
planned roadways that the Secretary deems critical to the future
efficient movement of goods on the primary freight network.
The MAP-21 also establishes the policy of the United States to
improve the condition and performance of this national freight network
to ensure that it provides the foundation for the United States to
compete in the global economy and achieve the goals of the national
freight policy. Consistent with the national freight policy, strategies
to improve system performance on the national freight network should
consider solution sets that effectively integrate the entire freight
transportation system, including non-highway modes of freight
transport, in order to maximize the efficiency of the national freight
network.
Purpose of This Notice
The purpose of this notice is threefold: (1) To provide to
stakeholders the planned process and criteria for the designation of
not more than 27,000 centerline miles for the primary freight network,
(2) to describe the principles and factors to be used for the
designation of up to 3,000 additional centerline miles critical to
future efficient movement of goods on the primary freight network, and
(3) to establish how data for the State-designated critical rural
freight corridors will be collected.
Primary Freight Network Designation
The designation of the primary freight network will be based on
measureable and objective data, including: origins and destinations of
freight movements; total freight tonnage and value of freight moved by
highways; percentage of annual average daily truck traffic (AADTT) in
the annual average daily traffic (AADT) on principal arterials; AADTT
on principal arterials; land and maritime ports of entry; access to
energy exploration, development, installation, or production areas;
population centers; and network connectivity. The analysis will
primarily use data from the Freight Analysis Framework maintained by
the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Other DOT modal agencies
including the Federal Railroad Administration, Maritime Administration,
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Federal
Aviation Administration, and Bureau of Transportation Statistics will
be consulted and other data will be incorporated into the analysis.
Multiple scenarios will be analyzed using various weighting
configurations to identify a primary freight network of up to 27,000
centerline miles. Such scenarios may target a range of tonnage or
commodity values which are transported, a range of truck traffic
volumes, or a range of percentages of truck traffic on principal
arterials. Scenarios will also analyze: ranges of service and access to
significant ports of entry/exit for international trade; access to
energy areas; access to population centers; and network connectivity
that includes multimodal aspects of the freight transportation system,
such as rail lines parallel to principal arterials that carry trailer-
on-flatcar, container-on-flatcar, and doublestack payloads of typically
high-value, time-sensitive cargo, and rail lines and waterways that
carry significant bulk cargo.
The following table denotes the factors, data sources, and
parameters that may be used for designation of the primary freight
network:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factor Data source Parameters
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Origins/destinations of FAF 3.4............. Connect top origins/
freight movements. http://faf.ornl.gov/ destinations
fafweb/
Extraction0.aspx.
Freight tonnage and value by FAF 3.4............. Include top routes
highways. http://faf.ornl.gov/ by weight of
fafweb/ freight
Extraction0.aspx. transported;
Include top routes
by value of
commodity
transported
Percentage of AADTT on HPMS 2010 AADTT..... Include top routes
principal arterials. http:// by percentage of
www.fhwa.dot.gov/ AADTT on principal
policyinformation/ arterials
hpms.cfm.
AADTT on principal arterials HPMS 2010 AADTT..... Include top routes
http:// by AADTT on
www.fhwa.dot.gov/ principal arterials
policyinformation/
hpms.cfm.
Land & maritime ports of USACE............... Connect top water
entry. U.S. Army Corps, ports ranked by
Navigation Data weight and values
Center, special
request, October
2012 via BTS.
MARAD............... Connect top water
http:// ports ranked by
www.marad.dot.gov/ number of TEUs
documents/
Container_by_US_
Customs_Ports.xls.
BTS Transborder data Connect top water
http://www.bts.gov/ ports ranked by
programs/ weight and values
international/
transborder/TBDR_
QuickSearch.html.
[[Page 8688]]
Access to energy EIA (US Energy Include access to
exploration, development, Information Admin.). coal basins, top
installation or production http://www.eia.gov/ coal mines, coalbed
areas. pub/oil_gas/ methane fields,
natural_gas/ natural gas
analysis_publicati production
ons/maps/ locations, gas and
maps.htm#geodata. oil plays
(exploration areas)
Pennwell Mapsearch Include access to
data via Pipeline oil refineries and
and Hazardous distribution
Materials Safety centers
Administration
(PHMSA).
http://www.mapsearch.com.
Pennwell Mapsearch Include access to
data via Pipeline biodiesel and
and Hazardous ethanol plants
Materials Safety
Administration
(PHMSA).
http://www.mapsearch.com.
Population centers.......... 2010 Census......... Connect top
http:// urbanized areas;
www.census.gov/cgi- Utilize Census
bin/geo/ Urbanized Area
shapefiles2010/main. Boundary for
geographic areas
Network connectivity........ FAF 3.4............. In order to reduce
http://faf.ornl.gov/ gaps in the
fafweb/ network, connect
Extraction0.aspx. PFN segments to one
another, to the
Interstate System,
or begin/end at
access point
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The following table denotes the other factors, data sources, and
parameters that may be considered in the designation of the primary
freight network:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factor Data source Parameters
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Major intermodal connectors. NHS Intermodal Connect major
Connectors. airport facilities,
http:// rail hubs, pipeline
www.fhwa.dot.gov/ terminals, and port
planning/national-- terminals
highway--system/
intermodal--connect
ors/.
FHWA research report
Distribution centers
and warehouse
locations.
Air ports of entry.......... FAA................. Connect top air
http://www.faa.gov/ ports of entry by
airports/planning-- landed weight
capacity/passenger--
allcargo--stats/
passenger/.
U.S. Department of Connect top air
Commerce, U.S. ports of entry by
Census Bureau, value
Foreign Trade
Division, USA Trade
Online, August 2012.
For routes off the FAF 3.4............. Where there are
Interstate System, http://faf.ornl.gov/ parallel routes to
designation on the National fafweb/ consider, avoidance
Network of highways that Extraction0.aspx. of routes on the
can safely and efficiently National Network
accommodate the large that are
vehicles authorized by the `restricted' or
State. `low clearance'
For routes off the FHWA research report Where there are
Interstate System, parallel routes as
availability of truck alternatives,
facilities. consider presence
of truck stops,
rest areas, and
weigh stations as
factors
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Primary Freight Network Additional Miles
Title 23 U.S.C. 167(d)(2) allows for up to 3,000 additional miles
to be designated for the primary freight network that are critical to
the future efficient movement of goods on the primary freight network,
which may include existing or planned roads. In determining whether a
route is critical to the future efficient movement of good on the
primary freight network, the Secretary will consider the factors
identified above for the designation of the initial 27,000 centerline
miles as well as one or more additional factors, which may include, but
are not limited to: supply chain/distribution network considerations
including flows of key commodities; connections to major intermodal
connectors; global and national economic and growth trends and growth
areas; length of haul and its effect on tonnage on the primary freight
network; designation on the National Network, as defined in 23 CFR part
658, without restrictions or clearance issues; availability of truck
amenities; current or planned waterway, rail, port or intermodal
terminal infrastructure developments that may impact future freight
flows; freight bottlenecks; connection to international border
crossings; and consideration of planned unbuilt highway facilities.
Additional miles may also be reserved for future designation, as
appropriate.
The following table denotes the factors and parameters that may be
considered in designation of up to 3,000 additional miles to the
primary freight network:
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Factor Parameters
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National growth needs and growth areas, Target growth areas for
including routes used by commodities additional mileage
identified in the National Export
Initiative.
Waterway, rail, port and intermodal Consider future infrastructure
terminal infrastructure developments. impacts on freight patterns
and capacity of other modes to
carry additional freight
Changes to global/national economies Consider future infrastructure
and population centers. impacts on freight patterns
Customs and border crossing areas...... Consider current/future border
crossing impacts on freight
patterns
[[Page 8689]]
Planned unbuilt NHS facilities......... Add in significant planned
facilities -10 year window
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Rural freight corridors
The State-designation of critical rural freight corridors is
described in 23 U.S.C. 167(e), and provides that a State may designate
a road within the borders of the State as a critical rural freight
corridor if the road is a rural principal arterial roadway and has at
least 25 percent of the AADT of the road measured in passenger vehicle
equivalent units from trucks (FHWA vehicle class 8 to 13); provides
access to energy exploration, development, installation or production
areas; or connects the primary freight network, a roadway described
above, or the Interstate System to facilities that handle more than
50,000 20-foot equivalent units per year, or 500,000 tons per year of
bulk commodities. The designation of critical rural freight corridors
will be performed by State DOTs and provided to DOT after designation
of the primary freight network is complete. Further guidance and
technical assistance for identifying these corridors will be provided.
The FHWA will make an initial request for the States to identify rural
freight corridors and will maintain route information for the rural
freight corridors thereafter.
Planned Schedule
The following is the approximate schedule for designation of the
national freight network. Key milestones include:
1. Publication of analysis results and draft designation of the
primary freight network--February 2013
2. Guidance/technical assistance available to States to begin
analysis of potential critical rural freight corridors--May 2013
3. Final designation of the primary freight network, including any
additional mileage designated by DOT--October 2013
4. Request to States to identify critical rural freight corridors--
October 2013
5. Initial designation of full national freight network (including
primary freight network, rest of the Interstate system, critical rural
freight corridors)--December 2013
Issued on: January 23, 2013.
Victor M. Mendez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-02580 Filed 2-5-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 30 (Wednesday, February 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 10249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: C1-2013-02580]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Establishment of the National Freight Network
Correction
In notice document 2013-02580 appearing on pages 8686-8689, in the
issue of Wednesday, February 6, 2013, make the following correction:
In the Table appearing on page 8687, in the third column, in the
final row, ``Connect top water ports marked by weight and values''
should read ``Connect top land ports for both weight and values''.
[FR Doc. C1-2013-02580 Filed 2-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1505-01-D