Full Citation

Title: An Analysis of Economic Impacts and Spatial Influence of Transload Facilities

Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis

Publication Year: 2021

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Abstract: Transload facilities are a type of transportation infrastructure specific to the freight industry where freight goods are transferred from truck to rail car, and vice versa. These facilities are thought to be a source of economic benefit because of their ability to provide nearby shippers with greater accessibility to an increased variety of, and potentially less costly, modes of transportation. However, the economic benefits realized after the construction of transload facilities have not yet been numerically quantified. This thesis examines the economic impact and spatial influence of transload facilities through quantitative analysis. The following examination is made up of two parts: first, an economic analysis focused on recently constructed transload facilities, and second, a spatial analysis focused on the relationship between the urbanness or ruralness of transload facilities and their range of influence. In the economic analysis, facilities having been constructed in the year 2001 or later are defined as ‘newly constructed.’ 14 facilities were determined to be newly constructed, and the counties in which the newly constructed facilities are located were identified. For each county containing a newly constructed facility, a minimum of five counties within the same state having similar median household income, population density, and degree of freeway access were identified. Sums of employment and sales volume between 2003 and 2019 were compared between counties containing newly constructed facilities and corresponding similar counties. Percent differences in employment and sales volume with reference to values measured during the facility’s year of construction were calculated for years between 2003 and 2019. The percent differences associated with counties containing newly constructed transload facilities were compared to the average percent differences associated with the corresponding similar counties. Growth in employment and sales volume was generally greater in counties containing newly constructed transload facilities compared to similar counties not containing transload facilities. Analysis of business records associated with the transportation and warehousing industries yielded similar results. In the spatial analysis, 33 facilities in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were studied. The urbanness or ruralness of each facility was determined by evaluating the 2016 edition of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). A twenty-mile radius was drawn around each facility, and the amount of land classified as ‘developed’ was used to calculate a ‘Percent Developed’ value. Estimates of trips originating and ending within the one-mile radius surrounding each facility were gathered through Streetlight analysis. Traffic information was used to calculate the average trip distance and average trip duration weighted by trip frequency for each facility. Percent Developed values and corresponding average trip distance and average trip duration were compared. This comparison suggested a negative relationship between the intensity of development and trip distance and trip duration. Facilities in more rural areas tend to generate trips that are longer in distance and duration, while facilities in more urban areas tend to generate trips that are shorter in distance in duration.

Url: https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstream/handle/1840.20/38954/etd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

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Authors: Burke, Molly Catherine

Institution: North Carolina State University

Department: Civil Engineering

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Publisher Location: Raleigh

Pages: 1-169

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Land Use/Urban Organization

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