Freight Commodity Flows: Selected Washington State Highways

The search for understanding of commodity flows throughout the nation and the State of Washington is a continual process. This understanding is critical at many levels of the transportation industry and to those firms and entities that provide that transportation, or regulate and invest in the needed infrastructure. These data, usually desired at the sub national level, are essential to adequate planning by state, regional and local levels as attempts continue to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of the transportation system. State and national travel models require those data, often on a seasonal, commodity/industrial, directional, modal, etc. basis. Determining the importance of a commodity flow on a corridor level leads to the correct prioritization of investments in infrastructure as well as increasing the ability to determine quantitative impacts of congestion, regulation and bottlenecks on a transportation system or supply chain. Using the Freight Policy Transportation Institute (FPTI) developed Intercept Survey Methodology, the research team conducted a series of seasonal truck surveys at seven locations: on Snoqualmie Pass (2 sites) and in the greater Wenatchee area (5 sites). Survey results aid in the identification of not only volume and commodity movements in the regions, but also bottlenecks or rerouting options identified by the survey respondents.