A variety of commercial, industrial, and public sector constituencies in
Northwest Ohio have come to realize the economic potential that is likely attributable
to the further development of
intermodal freight operations within the region. During 2008, these interests joined
together as the Joint
Intermodal Task Force for Transportation and Logistics (Task Force) to begin a formal
exploration of these
possibilities.
The Task Force’s initial report and recommendations were released in an
October 2008 study document. Chief among the report’s findings are the recommendations
that the region
further explore an expanded role for the existing Norfolk Southern (NS) intermodal
facility at Airline Junction in
Toledo and that this exploration simultaneously consider how a more active NS intermodal
facility might be integrated
into broader efforts to redevelop nearby available commercial properties.
As an action item contained within these recommendations, the Task Force
called for the estimation of the economic benefits that might be expected under such
an initiative. Accordingly,
Task Force members and representatives from NS initiated informal discussions with
the University of Tennessee’s
Center for Transportation Research (CTR). CTR faculty and staff have extensive experience
in performing precisely
the sort of analyses sought by the Task Force. As a result of these discussions,
the University of Toledo’s
Intermodal Transportation Institute and University Transportation Center (ITI/UTC)
have joined in a project with CRT as
the subcontractor to explore the economics of the Airline Junction recommendation.
In conjunction with work done in the University of Toledo Department of
Geography and Planning (UT-UTC project “Freight Flow Description of the Toledo Region”),
the resulting
information and data will be used to evaluate possible project options. If the decision
is made to pursue this
effort, the work done on this project will provide the necessary background material
to move the project forward.
The project is a joint effort of the University of Toledo UTC and the City of
Toledo.