Using Data from a State Travel Demand Model to Develop a Multi-Criteria Framework for Transload Facility Location Planning

The majority of freight is transported within the U.S. by road. However, the use of alternative modes, such as rail and barge, is associated with lower transportation and infrastructure maintenance costs, release of highway capacity, increased safety, and lower emissions. Thus, there is a latent opportunity for shippers and consumers to benefit from modal shift. In this context, strategically located freight-transfer facilities to improve rail and barge access is key. Moreover, for states with lower commodity tonnages and access to short-line rail and navigable waterways, transload facilities have significant potential to shift freight to underutilized modes. This paper develops a multi-criteria assessment framework to identify strategic locations for transload facilities at the state level. Using a statewide travel demand model (STDM) as the main data source, this framework provides a sketch-planning tool to support decision-making for state Departments of Transportation and economic development agencies. The multi-criteria quantify four measures of facility potential: (a) interaction with the transportation network, (b) amount of freight transported between major freight routes, (c) spatial aggregation, and (d) directionality aggregation. Each criterion is estimated and combined at the county level to produce a multi-criteria score, which defines a county’s potential to support transload movements. Using this score, counties are ranked, and facilities prioritized. The framework is applied to Arkansas and validated using the STDM for base (2010) and forecast (2040) years.