GOODS MOVEMENT PROJECTS

Port of Los Angeles Transportation Master Plan Overview
The Port of Los Angeles is currently developing a Port-wide transportation master plan for roadways in and around its facilities. Present and future traffic improvement needs are being determined, based on existing and projected traffic volumes. This three-year effort will be completed by 2007. The results will be a Transportation Master Plan providing ideas on what to expect and how to prepare for the future volumes. Some of the transportation improvements under consideration include: I-110/SR-47/Harbor Blvd. interchange improvements; Navy Way connector (grade separation) to westbound Seaside Ave.; south Wilmington grade separations; and additional traffic capacity analysis for the Vincent Thomas Bridge and Interstate 110 connector roads.

Additional On-Dock Rail Facility
The Port of Los Angeles has on-dock rail facilities at all but one container terminal in the port complex. The Port of Los Angeles is in the process of preparing the necessary environmental documents and design drawings for a new on-dock rail facility at the TraPac terminal. It is expected that this new on-dock rail facility could eliminate more than 200,000 truck trips per year into and out of the terminal. Estimated year of completion is 2010.

Southern California International Gateway
The Port of Los Angeles will be developing a new near dock rail facility, which will be operated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). This facility will be used to handle port-related intermodal containers. Several proposed sites are under consideration and will be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process. Today, port-related containers moving between the BNSF railyard and the ports travel on the I-710 freeway. Once this facility is fully operational, it is expected that one million port-related trucks could be eliminated from the I-710 freeway per year. Estimated year of completion is 2011.

SR47 Expressway/Schuyler Heim Bridge Replacement
The SR-47 Port Access Expressway will build a four-lane elevated highway from Terminal Island to Alameda Street, north of Anaheim Street and south of Pacific Coast Highway. Caltrans and the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) are heading up this project. In addition, the project will provide for the replacement of the seismically deficient Heim lift bridge over the Cerritos Channel with a fixed span bridge. The draft EIR is being prepared. Sources for funding the $40 million design and $350 million construction have not yet been determined. This project would reduce approximately 6-7% of the port related truck traffic on the I-710 freeway. Completion date is approximately 2011, but is based on available funding. Some federal funding was approved for part of the construction.

Terminal Free Time
Prior to July 2005 the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach tariffs provide five free days for import containers and seven free days for export containers on the terminals. In order to improve the velocity of equipment at the terminals and encourage the usage of off-peak gates, on July 1, 2005 the ports, with the approval of the California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA), reduced free time down to four days for imports and down to six days for exports.

Extended Terminal Gates
Through the efforts of the Port of Los Angeles Regional Goods Movement Task Team, a recommendation was made that a fee be assessed to the cargo owner for usage of terminal gates during peak commuter hours. The fee could be used to help offset the cost of off-peak gates. The shipping industry responded with the implementation of the PierPass program, which provides five off-peak terminal gates on the same day, same shift, and at all 13 terminals in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A $50 per TEU fee is charged to the beneficial cargo owners for all containers arriving at the San Pedro Bay ports. If a container is moved during one of the off-peak terminal gates or via rail, then the beneficial cargo owner will receive a refund of that fee. This program is projected to increase off-peak gate usage to more than 40 percent. The program was implemented in late July 2005 with much success. To date, over 35 percent of all gate transactions are taking place during off-peak hours.

Virtual Container Yard
A study conducted in 2000 indicated that approximately 1.1 million import containers are emptied in Southern California. Virtually all these containers come back empty to the San Pedro Bay ports. Additionally, the study indicates that 500,000 empty containers were trucked from the marine terminals to be loaded with export cargo. ACTA, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are implementing a system that would match an empty container from an import move to an empty export move. This could eliminate a number of empty container movements on the highway. Implementation is scheduled for early 2007.

Increased On-Dock Rail Usage
The railroads are working with the shipping lines and terminal operators in consolidating neighboring terminals’ intermodal volume to create larger trains to interior points, thereby eliminating truck transportation to the rail ramps.

Union Pacific Railroad Initiative
This initiative shifts international intermodal volume from the downtown Los Angeles rail ramp to the existing intermodal yard four miles from the Port of Los Angeles, which eliminated over 500,000 truck trips a year from the I-710 freeway.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Many terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have implemented OCR technology, which eliminates the need to type container numbers in the computer system. This technology expedites the truck driver through the terminal gates.

Truck Driver Appointment System
Many of the terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have implemented an appointment system that provides a pre-notification to terminals regarding which containers that are planned to be picked up.

State of California Goods Movement and Ports
The Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing Department along with the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency held numerous meetings to identify public-private partnerships in goods movement and environmental programs, with a focus on achieving shared goals. The state unveiled a draft goods movement action plan, which highlights transportation projects, environmental programs, and safety issues. These meetings demonstrate the states’ commitment in providing a much needed goods movement infrastructure.

Community Outreach and Support
The Port of Los Angeles is soliciting goods movement input from the community and sharing information on this subject to community stakeholders.