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Land Transportation Access to Ports and Marine Terminals
Click HERE for graphic. Land Transportation Access to Ports and Marine Terminals Opportunities and Challenges for Ports under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 Land Transportation Access to Ports and Marine Terminals: Opportunities and Challenges On December 18, 1991, then President Bush signed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991. This landmark legislation provides funding authorizations for highways, highway safety, and public transportation for the 1992 to 1997 time period. The legislation clearly recognizes the importance of an efficient intermodal transportation system for goods and people in order for the United States to compete in a global marketplace. Ports, as intermodal interfaces, are critical in expediting the flow of goods in international and domestic trade. Port bottlenecks will seriously hamper our efforts to meet the logistical needs of businesses in the United States. The ISTEA explicitly recognizes the need to "improve access to ports and airports, the Nation's link to world commerce." The ISTEA, however, relies upon metropolitan and state officials to implement many of its numerous provisions. Indeed, the legislation provides significant latitude to them in accomplishing major policy goals. Thus, we urge the port community to work closely with state and local officials to ensure access solutions/projects are considered in metropolitan and statewide planning programs. This brochure is the result of joint cooperation between the Maritime Administration and the Federal Highway Administration as embodied in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) previously signed by our respective agencies. It is the purpose of the MOU to jointly develop mechanisms for effectively incorporating landside port access considerations into the transportation planning process. This brochure is a step in that direction, for it identifies-for the port community, metropolitan planning organizations and state transportation planners opportunities within the ISTEA to address specific port-related policies and projects. It also provides a strategic focus for ensuring that port projects and plans are considered through the metropolitan and statewide planning programs. Maritime Administrator Federal Highway Administrator INTRODUCTION A fundamental tenet of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 stresses that an efficient highway and intermodal transportation system for goods and people movement is critical if the United States is to be an effective competitor in the global economy. The ISTEA envisions a National Intermodal Transportation System that includes the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, as well as principal arterial roads "which are essential for interstate and regional commerce and travel, intermodal transfer facilities, an international commerce and border crossings." The concept of a National Intermodal Transportation System, as incorporated in the ISTEA, is broader than just the physical transportation infrastructure. It encompasses "all forms of transportation in a unified, interconnected manner, including the transportation systems of the future, to reduce energy consumption and air pollution, while promoting economic development and supporting the Nation's preeminent position in international commerce." The ISTEA explicitly recognizes that ports, functioning as intermodal interfaces, performs a strategic function in ensuring that the United States remains competitive in the international marketplace. In that connection, the ISTEA stipulates that the National Intermodal Transportation System "provide improved access to ports and airports, the Nation's link to world commerce" through both the infrastructure and the systems operating on the physical rights-of-way. The ability of the Unite States to effectively compete in the global economy is enhanced by a National Intermodal Transportation System that provides improved access to those facilities. The ISTEA explicitly recognizes ports. The ISTEA's Declaration of Policy emphasizes that the National Intermodal Transportation System must provide adequate capacity for efficient movement of persons and goods. This gives ports an excellent opportunity to advance their issues/projects for consideration as project funding decisions are made in the coming months and years. In many cases, however, port access issues/projects will be addressed and affected by broader ISTEA programs. Port officials must therefore understand the linkages between these broader programs and their specific issues and projects and clarify them for planners and policymakers. Transportation planning is carried out by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOS) and state departments of transportation (DOTS) which evaluate and select projects to meet particular transportation needs. The ISTEA gives the MPOs and state DOTs more latitude and flexibility in deciding how and where to use Federal transportation funds by making a wider range of activities eligible for funding. The MPOs must develop a final set of approved projects through a process of consensus. Since highway and transit projects that provide improved access to ports are eligible, many ports, as independent government entities, would benefit from a closer working relationship with their respective MPOs and state DOTS. The objective of this brochure is to suggest ways in which specific port access issues/projects can be addressed by the transportation planning process and to demonstrate how the ISTEA provisions provide specific mechanisms or approaches to address port needs. Ports must understand linkages between their specific access issues and broader ISTEA programs. Metropolitan Planning Organizations and state DOTs are given considerable latitude and flexibility in the use of ISTEA funds. 2 PLANNING Metropolitan Planning Section 1024 of the ISTEA addresses the requirements for planning and programming transportation improvements in urbanized areas with 50,000 population or more. This section requires the MPOS, in cooperation with their respective state DOTS, to develop transportation plans and programs to "provide for the development of transportation facilities which will function as an intermodal transportation system for the state, the metropolitan area, and the Nation." Both the long-range transportation plan and the transportation improvement program (TIP) must include a financial plan that demonstrates that the resources are available to implement them. In developing financially constrained transportation plans, MPOS, in cooperation with the state and transit operator, must arrive at a set of projects to include from a list of eligible projects and competing needs. Given the limited resources compared to the needs in most areas, the process of reaching regional consensus on which projects have the highest priority for inclusion will require tradeoffs and difficult decisions. Ports must make significant efforts to demonstrate the manner in which their preferred programs and projects meet the ISTEA goals and objectives as well as meeting state and local needs. Furthermore, they must establish close working relationships with the MPO. The process of determining which projects in the transportation plan will be included in the next financially constrained TIP for implementation over the short-term requires similar tradeoffs and difficult decisions. Again, it Planning and Communication Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program 3 will be important for the ports to demonstrate that their preferred projects that have been included in the transportation plan have a high priority for implementation in the short term. The ISTEA directs the MPOs to consider in their planning and program development at least 15 factors, several of which are relevant to the needs of the port community. The considerations relevant to ports include the following: - The need to relieve congestion and prevent congestion from occurring where it does not yet occur. - International border crossings and access to ports, airports, intermodal transportation facilities, major freight distribution routes, national parks, recreation facilities and scenic areas, monuments and historic sites, and military installations. - Preservation of rights-of-way for construction of future transportation projects, including identification of unused fights-of-way which may be needed for future transportation corridors and identification of those corridors for which action is most needed to prevent destruction or loss. - Methods to enhance the efficient movement of freight. Ports have an opportunity to work with the MPOs to ensure that among the 15 factors that the MPOs are directed to consider, the four of direct impact on port activity receive sufficient attention. Planning Factors: Ports 4 State Planning Section 1025 of the ISTEA instructs state departments of transportation to develop transportation plans and programs for all areas of the state. In carrying out planning under this section, ISTEA instructs states to coordinate their efforts with those of the MPOS. The state plan is required to consider at least 20 specific items. Six of these apply directly to the problems and concerns of ports: - International border crossings and access to ports, airports, intermodal transportation facilities, major freight distribution routes, national parks, recreation facilities and scenic areas, monuments and historic sites, and military installations. - Transportation system management and investment strategies designed to make the most efficient use of existing transportation facilities. - Methods to reduce congestion and to prevent traffic congestion from developing in areas where it does not yet occur. - Where appropriate, the use of innovative mechanisms for financing projects, including value capture pricing, rolls, and congestion pricing. Section 1025: State DOT Obligations Planning Factors: Ports 5 - Preservation of rights-of-way for construction of future transportation projects, including identification of unused rights-of-way which may be needed for future transportation corridors. - Methods to enhance the efficient movement of commercial motor vehicles. Again, ports have the opportunity to work with the state DOTs to emphasize the importance of using these six program strategies to mitigate port transportation problems. If ports are to realize the opportunities inherent in ISTEA, they must work with the MPOs and state DOTs to ensure that their projects and concerns are considered in developing transportation plans and programs. Management Systems The ISTEA Section 1034 directs states to develop, establish, and implement systems for managing each of the following: (1) Highway pavement of Federal-aid highways. (2) Bridges on and off Federal-aid highways. (3) Highway safety. (4) Traffic congestion. (5) Public transportation facilities and equipment. (6) Intermodal transportation facilities and systems. Cooperation with State DOTs Section 1034: Management Systems 6 Section 1024 requires that congestion management systems in transportation management areas be developed as part of the metropolitan transportation planning process. The primary purpose of these management systems is to improve the efficiency of, and protect the investment in, the Nation's existing and future transportation infrastructure. The management systems are not end products. Rather, the ISTEA requires that states and MPOs use the results of these systems in the planning and program selection process to ensure optimum use of limited resources. Two systems are particularly relevant to ports: those dealing with congestion and with intermodal transportation facilities and systems. As states and MPOs develop their management systems to address traffic congestion, ports must work with planners to ensure that port-related congestion problems are considered. Ports must combat the tendency to view port access issues as only a local problem without larger implications for the state, region, or nation. Port access bottlenecks have to be acknowledged as a critical impediment to the economic health and international competitiveness of the United States. The intermodal management system "provide(s) for (the) improvement and integration of all of a state's transportation systems and shall include methods of achieving the optimum yield from such systems, methods of increasing productivity in the state, methods for increasing use of advanced technologies, and methods to encourage the use of innovative marketing techniques, such as just- in-time deliveries." Again, this system must recognize that adequate consideration of port transportation needs will help achieve this "optimum yield." Congestion and Intermodal Management Systems 7 FUNDING To restructure the overall program, the ISTEA restructured the Federal-aid Primary, Secondary, and Urban Systems and their associated funding categories. In their place is a network of Federal-aid routes consisting of (1) the National Highway System (NHS) and the Interstate System, a component of the NHS, and (2) other Federal-aid roads. In addition, there are three funding categories that have major implications for ports: the National Highway System (NHS), the Surface Transportation Program (STP), and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ). Over ISTEA's six-year period, $38 billion is authorized for the NHS, including $17 billion for the Interstate Maintenance Program. In addition, ISTEA authorizes more than $37 billion (counting special equity adjustment funds) for STP, and $6 billion for CMAQ. National Highway System The NHS is the centerpiece of the newly structured Federal-aid Highway Program and will be the program's central focus well into the next century. ISTEA directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop the NHS in cooperation with the states and local areas. It will include the Interstate System and various roads including "other urban and rural principal arterials and highways (including toll facilities) which provide motor vehicle access between such an arterial and a major port, airport, public transportation facility, or other intermodal transportation facility." The NHS will be developed by the states in cooperation with local and regional officials, based on guidelines established by the Secretary of Transportation. The states, MPOS, and other local ISTEA Funding Categories The National Highway System 8 officials have the flexibility to propose routes consistent with the objectives of the NHS. This cooperative designation process is well under way. As of August, 1993, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will have received individual state proposals on the proposed NHS in each respective state. FHWA will submit a proposed NHS to Congress by December of 1993. Congress will then have until September, 1995 to approve or change FHWA's proposal. ISTEA requires the states to seek, encourage, and provide cooperative involvement opportunities in the development of the NHS. The port community should take a pro-active role in this process. Clearly, port access roads fall within the scope of roads eligible for NHS inclusion. The port community must work closely with state, MPO, and local officials to ensure that their access roads are integrated into this network. Surface Transportation Program The Surface Transportation Program funds may be used on either NHS or other Federal-aid roads other than those serving local travel. A state must distribute 50 percent of its STP apportionment to urbanized areas with over 200,000 population and to other areas of the state based on population. Rural areas of the state (less than 5,000 population) are guaranteed an amount based on previous Secondary Program funding. The ISTEA lists 11 categories of eligibility under the STP. The eligibility categories that are of direct relevance to the port community include the following: - Construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, resurfacing, restoration and operational improvements for highways and bridges, including any such The Surface Transportation Program STP Eligibility: - Highways and Bridges 9 construction or reconstruction necessary to accommodate other transportation modes. ù Highway and transit safety improvements and programs, hazard eliminations, projects to mitigate hazards caused by wildlife, and railway-highway grade crossings. ù Capital and operating costs for traffic monitoring, management, and control facilities and programs. ù In accordance with all applicable Federal law and regulations, participation in wetlands mitigation efforts related to projects funded under this title, which may include participation in wetlands mitigation banks; contributions to statewide and regional efforts to conserve, restore, enhance, and create wetlands; and the development of statewide and regional wetlands conservation and mitigation plans, including any such banks, efforts and plans authorized pursuant to the Water Resources Development Act of 1990. Ports must work systematically at the state level to discuss the eligibility of their projects under the STP. The three project eligibility categories represent an explicit recognition that STP funds are available to address specific port access needs. Indeed, railway-highway grade crossing inadequacies have been cited as a significant traffic impediment in port terminal areas. The ISTEA stipulates that 10 percent of the STP funds must be set aside for safety programs including elimination of rail-highway grade crossing hazards. Furthermore, previous research has identified traffic management techniques as a viable way to address some port congestion problems. Finally, mitigation planning has been identified as an important mechanism - Grade Crossings - Management Programs - Wetlands Mitigation and Conservation Port/State Coordination 10 for land to be secured for future transportation improvement projects that will benefit ports. Under the STP, if improvements are planned to an existing highway facility that presently constrains operations of an existing rail line, adjustments to the rail line, including relocation of the line and purchase of rights-of-way, would be an allowable use of funds. This action must be more cost-effective than adjustments to the highway facility alone. For example, during bridge replacement or reconstruction, funding could be used to eliminate highway height limitations that prevent double-stack operations. STP funds may be used to make other adjustments to the highway facility to accommodate rail lines by adjusting drainage facilities, lighting, signing, or utilities or making minor adjustments to highway alignments. Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program Section 1008 of the ISTEA establishes a congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program directed towards states with non- attainment areas for ozone or carbon monoxide under the Clean Air Act. It provides funding for projects or programs "likely to contribute to the attainment of a national ambient air quality standard, whether through reduction in vehicle miles traveled, fuel consumption, or through other factors." Ports in non-attainment areas must make a determined effort to identify the eligibility of their congestion-reducing projects for funding under this section, since they will be competing for limited resources. The ports must demonstrate that their projects will reduce congestion by removing trucks from the roads or minimizing delays by improving terminal operations. They must further show that the congestion-reduction aspects of the projects will have a positive impact on air quality. Rail projects are potentially eligible for funding under this program if they Rail Facilities Section 1008: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Non-attainment Area Projects 11 contribute to the attainment of air quality standards by making significant reductions in the pollutants for which the area is in non-attainment. OTHER OPPORTUNITIES A number of additional provisions of the ISTEA apply to port issues and projects, and although many do not specifically mention port access or intermodal terminals, they address specific access impediments or traffic management systems that are relevant to ports. Again, ports need to justify their project requests to transportation planning agencies based on the specific linkages between these general provisions of the ISTEA and the particular port situation. Although possible, the following sections offer only limited opportunities for transportation projects that will be of direct benefit to ports. Rather than diluting their efforts, ports would be well advised to concentrate their involvement and project justification in the previously cited program areas. Toll Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels Section 1012 of the ISTEA authorizes Federal participation in the following projects: (a) initial construction, except on the Interstate System, of a toll highway, bridge, or tunnel or approach thereto; (b) reconstructing, resurfacing, restoring, and rehabilitating a toll highway, bridge or tunnel; and (c) reconstruction or replacement of a toll-free bridge or tunnel and conversion of the bridge or tunnel to a toll facility. The Federal share payable for construction of a new bridge, tunnel, or approach thereto or for reconstruction or replacement of a bridge, tunnel, or approach thereto is Other ISTEA Opportunities: Toll Roads, Bridges and Tunnels 12 80 percent. The Federal share for most other toll activities is 50 percent. For ports with existing toll roads, bridges, and tunnels, this section provides a new source of funding for reconstruction, resurfacing, restoring, or rehabilitation. The ISTEA also provides a new funding source for port communities to convert existing bridges or tunnels to toll facilities. Ports can potentially take advantage of funding opportunities under this provision. Direct truck access to some ports is only by bridge or tunnel. As a consequence, truck delays due to congestion on those critical accesses negatively impact port efficiency. Additionally, some ports have drawbridges as mal connecting arterials. These facilities can directly impede the efficiency of truck movements to and from the port. The ports must show the connection between their access problem and the funding opportunity under this section of the ISTEA. New Information Technologies Section 6015 directs the Secretary of Transportation, in cooperation with other appropriate Federal agencies, to identify existing and emerging trade corridors and transportation subsystems that facilitate trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Specifically, the Secretary is required to make recommendations providing "for improvement and integration of transportation corridor subsystems, methods for achieving the optimum yield from such subsystems, methods for increasing productivity, methods for increasing the use of advanced technologies, and methods to encourage the use of innovative marketing techniques, such as just-in-time deliveries." New Information Technologies 13 This section of the ISTEA provides ports with challenging opportunities for participation. Port participation in the programs contemplated in this section of the ISTEA depends upon their establishing port access routes and facilities as corridors facilitating trade among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Additionally, ports need to demonstrate that improved information technologies can be used effectively to speed the flow of international cargoes through their facilities. Up to this point, United States ports are somewhat behind the "most sophisticated ports in Europe and Asia in applying information technologies to traffic and cargo management. These ports are already investing in the software, computer links, fiber optic networks, and mobile radio terminals that will allow the terminal managers to better control inventories and manage the flow of containers across the terminal."* Acquisition of Rights-of-Way Section 1017 of the ISTEA provides for reimbursement of "costs incurred by the state for acquisition of rights-of-way, acquired in advance of any Federal approval or authorization, if the rights-of- way are subsequently incorporated into a project eligible for surface transportation funds." Such early acquisition must have occurred subsequent to December 18, 1991, the effective date of ISTEA. Qualifying acquisitions will have to be certified as being consistent with long range transportation plans and also with other land use and environmental planning processes. Acquisition activity must comply with the regulations contained in 49 CFR, Part 24 implementing the Uniform Acquisition and Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended, and also comply with the provisions of title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Port participation in programs Section 1017: Costs incurred by the state for the acquisition of tights-of-way * Transportation Research Board Special Report No. 238, Landside Access to U.S. Ports. 14 Since many ports consider dedicated freight corridors as viable options for congestion mitigation and improved port efficiency, the port community should work closely with the metropolitan and state planners to ensure that long range transportation plans include prospective freight corridors and other port access provisions. Also, the port community should assure that prospective port access corridors are compatible with land use planning initiatives and will not adversely impact environmentally sensitive resources. Once a port access corridor is incorporated in the long range transportation plan, the use of various preservation strategies using either regulatory methods or early acquisition would be available. Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) Title VI, Part B of the ISTEA is the "Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) Act of 1991." This Act establishes goals and objectives of a national IVHS program, and requires the Secretary of Transportation to develop and submit to Congress a Strategic Plan for the program. Funding for research and development, operational testing, and deployment support is provided to the FHWA for implementing the IVHS program. While the FHWA is the lead U.S. DOT agency for the IVHS program, the multimodal aspects of transportation are fully integrated into the objectives of the program, and a number of other agencies participate in the IVHS program. Port operations have an especially important role in improving com- mercial vehicle operations, which is a major component of the IVHS program. Through overall improvements to traffic flow which significantly reduce congestion, IVHS will increase the overall efficiency and reliability of truck travel. In addition, IVHS initiatives Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems 15 directed specifically toward freight issues may focus on streamlining all aspects of goods movement through the port system. Elements of such an integrated approach could include automated container identification and management, advanced dispatching systems, pre-clearing of trucks for regulatory requirements prior to entering the highway, automated data interfaces with freight customers, and customized, up-to-date travel information for drivers. Many state DOTS, in cooperation with MPOS, have initiated IVHS planning studies using funds provided by the FHWA to determine which transportation service improvements are needed that IVHS technologies could provide. The port community should become involved in these studies to ensure that intermodal linkages are also well served by IVHS technologies. Intermodal Planning Activities Sections 5002 through 5005 of the ISTEA establish a series of organizations and planning activities all designed to implement the policy established in Section 5001 to "encourage and promote development of a national intermodal transportation system in the United States" to "move people and goods in an energy-efficient manner, provide the foundation for improved productivity growth, strengthen the Nation's ability to compete in the global economy, and obtain the optimum yield from the Nation's transportation resources." In Section 5002, the legislation establishes an Office of Intermodalism within the Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation. The Director of the Office of Intermodalism has the responsibility to "develop, maintain, and disseminate intermodal transportation data through the Bureau of Transportation Statistics." This data, compiled in coordination Sections 5002 - 5005: Activities implementing intermodal transport policy Office of Intermodalism 16 with the states and the metropolitan planning organizations, will include the following: ù Information on the volume of goods and number of people carried in intermodal transportation by relevant classification. ù Information on patterns of movement of goods and people carried in intermodal transportation by relevant classification in terms of origin and destination. ù Information on public and private investment in intermodal transportation facilities and services. Section 5003 directs the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to states for the purpose of developing model state intermodal plans. In September, 1992, The Secretary of Transportation announced that the following states were awarded intermodal planning grants: Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and a consortium of six New England states. In Section 5004, ISTEA instructs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Public Administration to "continue a study of options for organizing the Department of Transportation to increase the effectiveness of program delivery, reduce costs, and improve intermodal coordination among surface transportation-related agencies." Section 5005 establishes a National Commission on Intermodal Transportation and directs it to evaluate the status of domestic and international intermodal transportation and to recommend a policy to facilitate the development of intermodal opportunities Intermodal Planning Grants Intermodal Transportation Commission 17 in the United States. The Commission will also investigate and study the following items relevant to port matters: - Intermodal Impacts on Public Works Infrastructure- The Commission shall examine current and projected intermodal traffic flows, including the current and projected market for intermodal transportation, and how such traffic flows affect infrastructure needs. - Legal Impediments to Efficient Intermodal Transportation- The Commission shall identify legal impediments to efficient intermodal transportation. - Financial Issues-The Commission shall examine existing impediments to the efficient financing of intermodal transportation improvements. The set of planning organizations and activities created in these sections of the legislation presents ports with an opportunity to raise issues of port accessibility in very visible settings. The port community must show the vital role of ports in achieving an efficient intermodal transportation system capable of keeping our nation competitive in the world economy. Thus, the port community must keep abreast of the many individual studies commissioned as part of the overall package of intermodal planning activities. It is up to the port community to ensure that the port issues are raised in a systematic and prominent fashion. Port opportunities to raise issues of accessibility Port role in achieving an efficient intermodal transportation system 18 Research, Education, and Statistics The ISTEA created a series of new research, education, and statistics gathering initiatives of relevance to the port community. Section 6002 broadens the responsibilities of FHWA's National Highway Institute to providing training to state and local highway department employees. The Institute now has authority to provide training to state and local police, public safety and motor vehicle employees as well as to United States citizens and foreign nationals engaged in highway work of interest to the United States. It would be both educational and beneficial for port personnel to attend these courses. Section 6004 authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants and enter into contracts for education and training, technical assistance, and related support services designed to assist local agencies in "developing and expanding their ability to deal effectively with road related problems." Section 6005 directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish and implement an applied research and technology program for the purpose of "accelerating testing, evaluation, and implementation of technologies which are designed to improve the durability, efficiency, environmental impact, productivity, and safety of highway, transit, and intermodal transportation systems." Section 6006 establishes within the Department of Transportation a Bureau of Transportation Statistics. This Bureau is directed to compile, analyze, and publish a "comprehensive set of transportation statistics to provide timely summaries and totals ... of transportation-related information." Section 6007 sets up the Advisory Council on Transportation Statistics to advise the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and evaluate the data coming out of the Bureau. Research, Education and Statistics: Initiatives relevant to port community interests 19 Section 6008 provides that the Secretary of Transportation will enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the adequacy of data collection procedures and capabilities of the Department of Transportation. Section 6009 directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop an integrated national surface transportation research and development plan to outline and direct surface transportation research over the next decade. Section 6010 of the legislation establishes a National Council on Surface Transportation Research to evaluate independently the significance of current surface transportation research and to make recommendations about the type and level of future work in this area. Finally, Section 6011 establishes a surface transportation research advisory committee to provide ongoing advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation. In addition, the Department of Transportation's Office of Intermodalism has produced a report titled, "Intermodal Technical Assistance Activities for Transportation Planner." This compendium of training courses, resource documents, data models, and other technical tools should be of great value and assistance to those in the port industry. CONCLUSIONS Success for the ports in achieving their fair share of ISTEA resources for port access issues will require a close partnership between ports and the planning agencies. Unfortunately, the record of that relationship is spotty at best. The strategic focus of ports in getting the access issue to the forefront must be twofold. First, ports must work creatively to gain more access to and better coordination with these state and local planning groups. Second, ports must work to ensure that their port landside access issues are Educating planners about port interests in inter- modal development 20 recognized as critical links in this nation's goods transportation system. Ports, as intermodal interfaces, hold the key to this nation's ability to compete in the global marketplace. Without an efficient port system, this nation's ability to compete globally will be significantly threatened. The port community must work aggressively to inform planners and decision-makers that its access solutions/projects are integral to the economic well-being of the nation and to dispel the notion that they represent a narrow, special interest. A direct, compelling argument must also be made that port access issues have to be encompassed in major provisions of future legislation. Hopefully, the new working partnerships forged between ports, state DOTs and local metropolitan planning organizations will provide a foundation for landside access issues to be fully addressed within the context of ISTEA's intermodal philosophy and serve as a benchmark for measuring future progress in this area. 21 For additional information please contact: John M. Pisani, Director Office of Port and Intermodal Development Maritime Administration MAR-830, Room 7201 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590 (202) 366-4357 (Office) (202) 366-5522 (Fax) George Schoener, Chief Intermodal Division Federal Highway Administration HEP-50, Room 3222 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590 (202) 366-4071 (Office) (202) 366-7600 (Fax) _________________________________ U.S. G.P.O. 1993-301-717:80402
