Emissions Analysis of Freight Transport Comparing Land-Side andWater-Side Short-Sea Routes: Development and Demonstration of aFreight Routing and Emissions Analysis Tool (FREAT)

This study develops the Freight Routing and Emissions Analysis Tool (FREAT), a spreadsheet-based decision tool that can assist in evaluating the economic, environmental, and congestion issues associated with alternative land-side and water-side freight transport routes. FREAT develops the methodology and tools for: (1) quantifying emissions from multimodal land-side and water-side freight transport alternatives; (2) evaluating tradeoffs among pollutant emissions, costs, and travel time for moving freight between two points; and, (3) identifying preferred modal combinations within a network of travel paths that would lead to either minimum emissions, minimum costs, or minimum travel time. The decision tool applies an optimization solver to compare routes for various decision objectives (e.g., minimize emissions, minimize costs, or minimize time) and constraints. For emissions, total fuel cycle emissions of GHGs and other pollutants are included. The authors demonstrate the FREAT model through a case study comparing freight modes along the I-95 corridor. This work supports national and international efforts to understand the value and implications of multimodal freight transportation within an integrated analytic framework. Results identify potential to improve freight service and environmental stewardship in multimodal transportation through a rebalance of modal shares in some cargoes and routes.