The Memphis region is a prime spot to make infrastructure improvements to accommodate a forecasted surge in freight demand, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation commissioner Gerald Nicely.
Nicely delivered that message, along with a study by the American Association of State Highway Transportation, on Thursday (July 8) at the Wilson Air Center at Memphis International Airport.
According to the AASHTO report titled "Unlocking Freight," overall freight demand will double in the next 40 years, from 15 billion tons to 30 billion tons by 2050. Freight carried by trucks will increase 41 percent while rail is expected to see a 38 percent spike from current volumes.
That means more trucks and trains will need to access Memphis in the future, and according to Nicely, improvements need to be made now to make sure they have that access.
"To accommodate this predicted growth in freight movement, we need to think nationally, regionally, and on a multimodal level,” Nicely said. “Central to this effort should be the creation of a national multimodal freight plan to ensure that transportation investments are coordinated and made where most needed. By linking trucks, rail, waterway transport, and aviation, freight can be moved."
Specifically, the report called for new rail and vehicle crossing at the Mississippi River. Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas officials are currently working on the development of environmental studies for new crossings.
"Investments in our vital roadway system are simply not keeping pace with demand," said Dan Flowers, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Director. "Between 1980 and 2006, traffic on the Interstate Highway System increased 150 percent, while interstate capacity increased by just 15 percent. We must invest in our interstates, national highways and major freight corridors in order to unlock gridlock, generate jobs and deliver freight."
Nicely's sentiments echoed those of Nicole Lamb Hale, the government’s assistant secretary of manufacturing and services, who spoke in May at the Memphis World Trade Club's Multi Modal Conference.
We’ll have more on the new report next week.
--Trey Heath