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Workshop brings together regional freight experts to
define 2040 CRP strategy
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Freight workshop final report
Thinking Logistically: 2040 CRP Freight Workshop
December 15, 2010
NIRPC Auditorium
How will Northwest Indiana
capitalize on our strategic location at the
intersection of international trade routes and our
proximity to Chicago, the freight capital of the
Midwest? An engaged group of about 30 key public
and private sector freight stakeholders put their
heads together on the morning of Dec. 15, 2010 to
answer these questions, to define a vision for
freight movement in Northwest Indiana and to
prioritize projects and policies for inclusion in
NIRPC’s 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan (CRP).
The 2040 CRP had already
identified improved freight mobility as a key
strategy for revitalizing the region and building a
strong and competitive economy. This workshop,
produced in collaboration with Cambridge Systematics
and the Northwest Indiana Forum, focused on defining
that strategy in order to ensure that our
transportation investments are positioning the
region for sustainable economic growth and improved
quality of life. Weighing in on the issues were
elected officials, including State Representative Ed
Soliday; local economic developers and real estate
developers; transportation professionals, including
both Class I and short haul railroad
representatives; INDOT officials; and academic
researchers.
Participants heard
presentations on the 2040 CRP Growth and
Revitalization vision and the findings of the NIRPC
Freight Study – which projects exponential growth in
freight movement by all modes in both the nation and
the region. Additionally, railroad representatives
Chuck Allen of Norfolk Southern, Jim Sheppard of the
Indiana Harbor Belt, and Andy Laurent of South Shore
Freight graciously agreed to give an impromptu
presentation on the state of the railroad industry.
During the interactive segments
of the workshop, a clear consensus emerged from the
three breakout groups that there is a need for
Northwest Indiana to pursue freight-related business
and industry. Potential freight projects and
policies were also discussed and ranked using
dot-voting. The highest ranking projects included
prioritizing highway-rail grade crossings for
separation, developing multimodal hubs such as the
Gary Chicago International Airport and the Kingsbury
Industrial Park, and supporting the upgrading of
short line railroads.
The workshop results will be
compiled in a technical memo and incorporated into
the freight element of the 2040 CRP, the first
long-range plan to address transportation, land use,
economic development, environmental management and
social equity in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.
Key themes of the CRP include the revitalization of
the urban and industrial cities, the identification
and development of multiple strategic centers, and
the protection of natural and agricultural areas.
The CRP will serve as the basis for the evaluation
and selection of $45 million in regional
transportation projects annually and for determining
the policy & legislative direction of the
Commission.
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