Study to Determine the Need for Innovative Technologies for Container Transportation System;Final rept. (Mar 2003-Jun 2004)

摘要

New Jersey ports have been experiencing tremendous growth in container volumes in recent years and it is anticipated that this trend will continue in the future. This may present a problem for the transportation network supporting the traffic coming to and from the port facilities. Currently most of the containers are brought to and picked up from the port by trucks and, while approximately 10% of containers are handled by trains. Projected growth in container traffic along with expected growth of commuter traffic in the region will cause more than significant increase in congestion, which will ultimately completely deteriorate performance of the transportation system in the region as well as performance of the transportation network around ports and within the port terminals themselves. In this situation port authority and port operators look for the ways to avoid problems that can emerge as the result of the traffic growth. One way to do so is to investigate the feasibility of using innovative transportation modes as the alternative to trucks and trains. This study will identify technologies that should be considered as candidates for container movement from and to the port, considering different travel distances. Economic analysis show whether these technologies are feasible or not, but it also evaluates external effects of the applied technology, such as pollution, reduction in congestion, socio-economic impacts and land use disruption.