Recent commodity trends, such as the increase in domestic crude oil  production from shale formations, have affected freight movements. In 2012, the President signed into  law the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) . In November 2013, DOT released for comment a draft primary  freight network. Truck volumes have  also increased in recent years and are approaching levels prior to the  2008 recession, causing community impacts when trucks must travel on  local roads, such as roads connecting ports to freeways. Traffic Congestion at Highway-Rail Crossings is a Longstanding Concern but Impacts and Costs Are Not Always Documented

DOT, state, and local officials identified a key negative impact of  increasing freight flows as freight-related traffic congestion occurring at  highway-rail grade crossings, where road traffic must wait to cross the  tracks when trains are passing. Several communities we visited had documented longstanding concerns  over highway-rail grade crossings. For example, the 2004 Billings, Montana, study described above included  some general information on train counts but no information documenting  the number of vehicles delayed, the hours of delay, or any costs  associated with such delays. This study concluded that rail crossings in the area  caused delays of roughly 235,000 person-hours per year at a cost of $2.4  million. However, DOT and other  national and state freight stakeholders that commented on the draft  network raised concerns that the lack of a defined purpose for the  network in MAP-21 and the mileage limit requirement—that it be limited to  27,000 centerline miles—had resulted in a network that omits the types of   The significance of the 27,000  roads where local traffic congestion impacts of national freight  movements are often experienced. With Limited Guidance from MAP-21, DOT Has Not Yet Defined the Federal Role in Addressing Local Freight Impacts and Lack of Data Hampers Effort

In the context of limited direction in MAP-21 related to community impact  issues, to date, DOT’s efforts to implement certain freight requirements in  MAP 21 do not clearly establish a federal role related to local impacts  such as freight-related traffic congestion by identifying goals, objectives,  or measures in this area. DOT also stated that as required by MAP-21, it  plans to incorporate a discussion of best practices to mitigate the impacts  of freight movement on communities in the National Freight Strategic  Plan, which is due in 2015. As a result, in the Freight Transportation Conditions and Performance  Report, DOT is not planning to identify specific goals, objectives, or  measures for addressing freight-related congestion in local communities. Good data and information systems are essential to  supporting sound capital planning and decision-making. DOT’s efforts as previously described do not yet fully establish the federal  role in this area, which could limit the usefulness of the eventual National  Freight Strategic Plan in laying out a strategy related to these issues. Matter for Congressional Consideration

In reauthorizing the federal highway program, Congress should consider  establishing a clear purpose for the national freight network and primary  freight network that incorporates inclusion of the types of roads where  communities are likely to experience significant freight-related traffic  congestion, and, as relevant to this purpose, consider revising certain  requirements such as the mileage limit of 27,000 miles or changing the  requirement from a centerline to a corridor approach. Recommendations for Executive Action

In order to clarify the federal role related to freight-related local traffic  congestion, we recommend that the Secretary of Transportation take the  following two actions in implementing MAP-21 and any subsequent  reauthorization:  in its final guidance on state freight plans, incorporate additional  information to help states define and prioritize local community  impacts of national freight movements, including traffic-congestion  impacts, and to establish what data could be consistently collected  and analyzed in order to prioritize impacts of freight on local traffic  congestion;  include in the National Freight Strategic Plan a written statement  articulating the federal role in freight-related local congestion impacts,  by clearly identifying potential objectives and goals (under the general  area DOT has established for the Freight Transportation Conditions  and Performance Report of reducing adverse environmental and  community impacts) for mitigating local congestion caused by national  freight movements and the type of role federal and state stakeholders  could play in achieving each objective and goal, and including a  written strategy for improving the availability of national data needed  to quantify, assess, and establish measures on freight trends and  impacts on local traffic congestion. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report addresses the following objectives: (1) how U.S. rail and truck  freight flows are changing, and the extent to which freight-related traffic  congestion is reported to impact local communities; (2) how communities  have funded efforts to mitigate freight-related traffic congestion, and what  funding challenges, if any, communities report facing; and (3) the extent  to which DOT’s efforts to implement freight-related provisions of MAP-21  have addressed local freight-related traffic congestion. To understand the extent that MAP-21 addresses freight-related traffic  congestion in communities, we reviewed federal laws and programs,  including MAP-21 freight provisions, and documentation of DOT’s efforts  to implement MAP-21’s freight provisions, such as its draft primary freight  network, as well as DOT’s April 2014 surface transportation  reauthorization proposal.
Why GAO Did This Study

Projected increases in the transport of freight by rail and truck may produce economic benefits but also increase traffic congestion in communities. MAP-21, which contains a number of provisions designed to enhance freight mobility, is currently before Congress for reauthorization. GAO was asked to review trends in freight flows and any related traffic-congestion impacts.
This report addresses among other things: (1) recent changes in U.S. rail and truck freight flows and the extent to which related traffic congestion is reported to impact communities, and (2) the extent to which DOT's efforts to implement MAP-21 address freight-related traffic congestion in communities. GAO analyzed rail data from 2007 through 2012 and highway data from 2010 and 2012 and reviewed 24 freight-related traffic congestion mitigation projects at 12 locations selected on the basis of different geographical locations and sizes. The results are not generalizable. GAO also reviewed federal laws and interviewed freight stakeholders.

What GAO Found

Recent trends in freight flows, if they continue as expected, may exacerbate congestion issues in communities, particularly along certain corridors. As of 2012, the latest year for which data were available, national freight rail and truck traffic had approached levels of 2007 prior to the economic recession. Certain trends related to specific commodities have affected rail flows, including increases in domestic crude oil production. A key negative impact of increasing freight flows is congestion at highway-rail grade crossings, where road traffic must wait to cross the tracks when trains are passing. For example, a Miami-area study found that rail crossings in the area caused delays of roughly 235,000 person-hours per year at a cost of $2.4 million. Although several communities we visited had documented long-standing concerns over freight-related traffic congestion, state and local stakeholders we met with had varying levels of quantified information regarding the extent of the impacts or costs to the community. For example, in contrast to the Miami study, another study we reviewed included some information on train counts, but did not document hours of delay or any costs associated with such delays.
The Department of Transportation's (DOT) efforts to implement the freight-related provisions of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) are still underway but so far do not fully consider freight-related traffic congestion. MAP-21's freight policy goals do not explicitly include addressing freight-related traffic congestion, but MAP-21 requires DOT to identify best practices to mitigate the impacts of freight movement on communities in a national freight strategic plan, which is due in October 2015. MAP-21's requirements and DOT's efforts so far do not fully establish the federal role or identify goals, objectives, or performance measures in this area, which may limit the usefulness of the National Freight Strategic Plan . For example:
DOT issued for comment a required draft primary freight network, but according to DOT and other stakeholders, MAP-21's lack of defined purpose for the primary freight network and mileage limit of 27,000 miles hampered DOT's ability to include in this draft network some types of roads where local traffic congestion impacts of national freight movements are often experienced, such as roads connecting ports to freeways. The significance of the 27,000 mileage limitation is not clear. DOT released a surface transportation reauthorization proposal in April 2014 that proposed establishing a multimodal national freight network with a defined purpose and with no mileage limit.
DOT is currently developing the Freight Transportation Conditions and Performance Report , which is to support the National Freight Strategic Plan . For this and other documents, DOT established a broad goal to reduce freight-related community impacts. However, DOT did not identify clear goals, objectives, or measures related to freight-related traffic congestion in local communities due to a lack of reliable national data. Thus, a clear federal role has not been established. High-quality data are essential to supporting sound planning and decision-making. Without reliable national data, it will be difficult for DOT to establish goals and objectives and to define the extent of freight-related traffic congestion and measure performance.

What GAO Recommends

Congress should consider clarifying the purpose of the primary freight network and, as relevant to this purpose, revising the mileage limit requirement.
DOT should clarify the federal role for mitigating local freight-related congestion in the National Freight Strategic Plan , including a strategy for improving needed data. DOT concurred with the recommendations.