Middle Tennessee benefits tremendously from freight transportation related assets and infrastructure. Among these are the region's roadways, waterways, railroads, and airports. Nashville is at the nexus of three major Interstate highways, Interstate 24, 40, and 65, and three major limited access bypasses, Interstate 440, Briley Parkway, and State Route 840. The Cumberland River provides barge access to the Mississippi River system and the Gulf of Mexico. One Class I (CSX) and two Class II rail carriers operate within the region along with a major rail classification yard, an intermodal ramp, an automotive ramp, and bulk and break bulk terminals. Two of the region's airports have sufficient runways to accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747, Nashville International Airport and the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport. In addition there are seven general aviation airports in the region. However, the central location and proximity to several major distribution cities is what makes Nashville a unique city for freight transportation.
Local Benefits from Freight Infrastructure
The unique location of Middle Tennessee allows for the region to be competitive in the global market and a desirable place for manufacturing and distribution. The Nashville region is strategically located within 650 miles of half of the United States population and is home to approximately 1.5 million people. Some of the key characteristics of the Nashville region include the following:
- Approximately 800,000 people in the workforce
- 1 out of every 11 jobs are transportation related
- 40,000 businesses
- Corporate Headquarters location of Nissan North America, Bridgestone America, Gaylord Entertainment, HCA, and Asurion
- Cost of living is nearly 12% lower than the nation as a whole
- Ranked 8th for Best Cities for Job Growth by Fortune Magazine
These are very important characteristics of the Nashville region and indicate why the Nashville region is one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. There are many important factors driving the region's success, but perhaps none as important as the transportation network. More specifically, the means for which freight and goods are transported to and from their ultimate destinations.
Local Challenges Resulting from Freight Movement
Over 298 million tons of freight originate, terminate, flow through, or move within the Nashville region on an annual basis and that number is expected to increase up to as much as 467 million tons by 2035. 82% of that freight is carried by truck and by 2035 that percentage is expected to increase to 83%, thus having a major impact on our regions roadway network. Perhaps even more intriguing is the fact that 77% of all freight carrying trucks never stop inside the Nashville region, with that number expected to increase to 78% in 2035. Therefore, a much larger strain is going to be placed on the roadway network in the Nashville region, particularly on interstates/freeways and major arterials.
In addition to exaggerated congestion and bottlenecks, the increase in truck traffic will lead to reduced travel times and system reliability. Increased noise, air and water pollution along with more severe traffic accidents are also to be expected with the increase in trucks on the road.
Importance of Freight Planning
It is important that the MPO balances the positive and negative impacts that freight movement has on a region. With the right balance, Middle Tennessee will remain a thriving area for business while keeping the harmful side effects at a minimum.
The Nashville Area MPO, through federal transportation legislation, is charged with providing the tools and plans necessary to help ensure that a multimodal transportation infrastructure system is maintained and developed in a manner that supports all modes of travel. This includes the safe and efficient movement of freight and goods. The MPO has developed and continues to develop several tools and plans to assist in maintaining and enhancing the regional transportation infrastructure and the Regional Freight & Goods Movement Studies are just one of those tools. These documents identify many potential infrastructure and policy related projects to maintain and improve the freight transportation network over the next several years.
Many of these identified freight infrastructure projects are included in the MPO's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). This is significant because the RTP establishes the priority projects for the region in terms of funding and implementation. Many efforts were made to continue to establish the region's freight and goods movement transportation network as a priority in the RTP. In fact, proposed transportation infrastructure projects were subject to specific freight related scoring criteria that were largely derived from these freight studies. This is a critical step in institutionalizing freight into the RTP development process because this helps to ensure that freight is a significant consideration in regional project prioritization.
Building upon the accomplishments of the first two phases of the Regional Freight & Goods Movement Study, the Nashville Area MPO is currently working with consulting experts and local freight advisors to:
- Conduct a review and analysis of historic trends and existing conditions in the region including an analysis of commodity flows, import/ export trading partners, local freight attractors and generators, freight networks and routing, economic impact of freight and logistics, etc.;
- Conduct a review and analysis of future conditions including a forecast of future commodity flows and freight movements, and an evaluation of programmed and planned transportation improvements, future land use policies, economic and community development plans, etc. that may affect or be affected by freight and goods movement;
- Develop a guiding vision for the region's freight system, including a designated truck route network, and supporting polices, strategies, regulations to facilitate its implementation;
- Formulate recommendations for optimizing local land use plans and land development policies, codes, and ordinances in support of improved freight access and delivery; and
- Create print and web-based communication tools that help promote awareness of freight movements, associated benefits and challenges, proposed strategies, and proposed improvements across the region.
- United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Maritime Administration (MARAD)
- US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce
- Ingram Barge
- Nashville Airport Authority
- Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport
Corridor or Regional:
- Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies (ITTS)
- I-95 Corridor Coalition
- Mid-America Freight Coalition
National Professional Organizations:
- Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
- Transportation Research Board (TRB)
- American Association State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
- Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)
- American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS)
- Delta Nu Alpha
- Tennessee Trucking Association (TTA)
- American Trucking Association (ATA)
- National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC)
- Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
Research and Academia:
- American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI)
- Vol State Community College - Transportation & Logistics Program
- Vanderbilt Center for Transportation Research (VECTOR)
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville Center for Transportation Research (UTK CTR)
- The Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute (IFTI)
- National Center for Freight & Infrastructure Research & Education (CFIRE)