Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations

Integrating Freight into NEPA Analysis

Foreword

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Notice

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Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-HOP-10-033

2. Government Accession No.

3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Integrating Freight into NEPA Analysis

5. Report Date

September 2010

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Dike Ahanotu

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
100 CambridgePark Drive, Suite 400
Cambridge, MA 02140

10. Work Unit No.

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-06-D-00004

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations (HOP)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Final Report
August 2008-December 2010

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

HOFM

15. Supplementary Notes

FHWA COTM: Kate Quinn, Office of Freight Management and Operations, and Neel Vanikar, Office of Project Development and Environmental Review

16. Abstract

The efficiency and effectiveness of freight transportation is critical for economic growth and development, ensuring livable communities, and creating a sustainable human and natural environment. It is increasingly important to integrate freight transportation issues and solutions throughout the transportation planning and project development process.

This handbook is designed to provide information on freight transportation to: 1) professionals responsible for advancing transportation projects through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process analysis; and 2) public and private sector freight stakeholders interested in advancing freight transportation projects utilizing public sector highway funds that require NEPA analysis.

NEPA requires analysis of the impacts of proposed Federal activities on the natural and human environments. Therefore, the use of Federal-aid highway funds to implement a transportation project requires that the project be advanced through the NEPA process as defined in law and regulation. This handbook considers freight transportation from two perspectives: 1) a project that itself is designed to resolve a freight transportation issue or need; and 2) a project in which freight-related features (warehousing, access to intermodal facilities, loading docks, etc.) could be affected by the project’s design and location.

17. Key Words

freight, NEPA, EIS, intermodal, goods movement, environmental review, project development

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions.

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif.
(of this page)

Unclassified

21. No of Pages

44

22. Price