Southeastern Transportation Center

	Research

PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Arun Chatterjee, University of Tennessee, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0700, 615-974-7714

EXTERNAL PROJECT CONTACT: Mr. James J. Scott, Executive Director, North Carolina State Ports Authority, PO Box 9002, Wilmington, NC 28402, 910-343-6232

PROJECT OBJECTIVE: To identify existing and future safety problems associated with landside access to seaports in the southeastern states of the U.S. and to identify appropriate solutions. The approach to be taken is to investigate transportation access at selected ports and to develop case studies illustrating safety problems and issues.

MODAL ORIENTATION: Multimodal

PROJECT ABSTRACT: One of the most significant changes taking place in freight transportation is the dramatic growth of intermodal shipments of export/import traffic destined from US seaports to inland points. Cargo moved by ocean vessel is frequently intermodal in nature, as delivery to and from the port is done by rail or motor carrier.

To minimize time, reduce costs and avoid cargo loss and damage, steamship lines have embraced containerization for nonbulk commodities. Safe access to ports is directly related to economic efficiency. It is timely that the landside access issues and problems at a few selected ports in the southeast US be studied and appropriate solutions identified. It is proposed that selected ports in North Carolina and other states in the southeast be selected for case studies focusing on safety aspects and innovative solutions. A total of four cases will be studied including two ports in North Carolina located in Morehead City and Wilmington.

MILESTONES, DATES: Proposed research would be completed between August 1, 1994 beginning with Task 1 and final completion of Task 9 by December 31, 1995.

BUDGET: Total budget is $85,927.

STUDENTS: Proposed research will include students of different ethnic backgrounds from The University of Tennessee and North Carolina State University.

T² ACTIVITIES: Findings will be of interest to federal, state and local transportation agencies. The Department of Transportation is currently engaged in a major effort to identify opportunities for improving the safety and efficiency in intermodal transportation. Groups within USDOT that would have an interest in their research include the Maritime Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Railroad Administration.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS: The study will focus on the safety aspects of growing intermodal traffic serving ports. The investigators will make a special effort to identify safety problems and innovative solutions that would be common to other ports in the region as well as the entire country. The process and methodology of identifying the safety problems and their solutions will be valuable to various transportation agencies.

TASK DESCRIPTION:
1. Review available literature related to port access and accidents involving trucks and rail.

2. Review and evaluate the accident models that have been published previously and select the best models to use in this research. The final result of this task will be a list of best models of truck and rail grade crossing accidents elements of interest. The research team will apply the models to predict where future safety impacts will occur.

3. Interview key individuals and officials of ports, cities and freight transportation companies. In addition, a workshop will be organized in each selected area for further analysis of problems and opportunities. Questionnaires will be developed for the participants.

4. Field inspections will be conducted before and after the interviews and workshops.

5. Develop a forecast of future freight movements by truck and rail.

6. The research team will gather and analyze current accident data and transportation plans.

7. Quantify the expected safety impact of forecast freight movements by applying the accident prediction models identified in Task 2 for a scenario including the future freight movements.

8. The research team will recommend general categories of countermeasures rather than site- specific designs. They will consider the approximate cost of a countermeasure before making a recommendations.

9. The two universities will prepare a final report describing methods used and the findings and a recommended approach that interested agencies can follow in other cases.

Home	Intro	Education	Research	Tech Transfer	Director's Message	Publications	Center Directory	Safety Activities	Universities	Students & Alumni	Links	Transportation Center

---

For more info contact the Technology Transfer Coordinator: Zach Zacharia.