10:00am, April 15, 2015
Coffee will be available at 9:30 A.M. and lunch will be served following the meeting.
Commission Office
The ACP Building - 8th Floor
190 N. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA
For directions Call (215) 592-1800
Please Use Sixth Street Entrance
1. Call to Order
Task Force members and friends will be welcomed and recognized. Highlights from the previous freight advisory committee meeting on January 16, 2015 will be offered for approval.
2. Goods Movement Initiatives to Improve Air Quality
Diesel equipment used in goods movement is a significant source of fine particle pollution and emissions that lead to ground-level ozone. Sean Greene, DVRPC Senior Transportation Planner, will survey actions being taken at East Coast facilities to reduce emissions from goods movement and identify potential funding opportunities to assist in local efforts.
3. National Highway System Connector Evaluations
Dr. Leslie McCarthy and three civil engineering students from Villanova University will discuss their research methodology and recommendations for operational, safety, and infrastructure capacity improvements for three National Highway System (NHS) Connectors in the Delaware Valley region.
4. Pennsylvania Statewide Rail Plan
Angela Watson, PennDOT’s Acting Bureau Director of Rail Freight, and Dave Hollis, HNTB Corporation’s Project Manager, will provide a brief update on the Pennsylvania Statewide Rail Plan. The overview will touch on the Plan’s goals and objectives, the rail network’s characteristics, and opportunities and challenges facing the industry.
5. Lehigh Valley Comprehensive Freight Movement Plan
The Lehigh Valley is at the intersection of the Philadelphia, New York-New Jersey markets and a primary gateway to western Pennsylvania and beyond. Becky Bradley, Executive Director, will discuss the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s freight plan designed to address growth in e-commerce, intermodal and manufacturing businesses.
6. Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Freight Management and Operations
Caitlin Hughes Rayman, the Director of FHWA’s Office of Freight Management and Operations, will discuss progress in advancing national freight initiatives and the possibilities for new national freight programs. Ms. Rayman leads a team of national freight experts who work to ensure the efficient, seamless, and secure freight flows on the U.S. transportation system and across our borders.
7. Two-minute Reports
Task Force and Subcommittee chairs and Task Force members and friends are invited to offer updates on the activities of their companies and agencies.
8. Old or New Business/Adjournment
Old or new items of business will be considered. The remaining 2015 meeting dates of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force are: July 15 and October 14.