MD Moves - A Freight News Monthly

Presented by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council for the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board

In This Issue
November 2008

Freight Movement Task Force Meeting

Transportation Outlook 2035 Amendment public workshop

Talking Freight Webinar

Port to lease Seagirt

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Baltimore Metropolitan Council

Calendar of events

Maryland Moves: A Freight News Monthly shares and provides links to monthly announcements and news highlights regarding transportation-related freight issues both regionally and nationally.

Freight Movement Task Force Meeting

The Freight Movement Task Force is an Advisory Group to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board.

Our next Freight Movement Task Force meeting will take place on Thursday, November 20 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council offices.

>> Learn more about the Freight Movement Task Force

Fuel Prices for the week of November 3, 2008

The Department of Energy provides weekly updates on fuel prices at the gas pump. Here are some highlights from November 3, 2008.

>> Check current fuel prices

Public Workshop for Transportation Outlook 2035 Amendment

The Maryland General Assembly passed a revenue enhancement package during the recent special session; as a result the BRTB determined that an additional $340 million in funds for capital expansion would be directed toward a combination of short- and long-term transit projects. In order to determine what transit projects should be funded, the BRTB held a 30-day public input period to gather ideas and advice from the public about what kinds of transit projects they would like to see funded. During the public input period public comments were analyzed to result in over 330 project ideas for the BRTB's consideration.

The BRTB is looking to the public for additional advice on which mix of projects to fund. Scenarios with various mixes of projects will be the topic of the public workshop on November 25, 2008 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council offices (2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21224). At this meeting, members of the public will have a chance to review various project mixes and provide their feedback to BRTB members. Comments and suggestions may also be submitted online using our public comment form, by e-mailing comments@baltometro.org, or faxing 410-732-8248.

>> For complete information

FHWA's Talking Freight Seminar

The next session, entitled " Freight and Land Use" will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 (1:00 to 2:30 PM (EST)).

Description of the session topic: Freight transportation planning and its associated land use impacts are a critical planning issue. Modern freight standards are increasingly leading to the obsolescence of older and established industrial and freight-related districts in metropolitan areas. The challenge of consolidating existing developed sites with differing owners, in combination with expected citizen opposition to expansion plans in some areas, leads many freight dependent industries to relocate to suburban and rural areas. MPOs are increasingly faced with addressing the transportation challenges created by these shifting freight movement patterns. This seminar will identify strategies that MPOs can apply to improve coordination between freight-related land use planning and transportation planning. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of the following members of my staff: Spencer Stevens at (202) 366-0149 or Jienki Synn at (202) 366-5001.

>> Register for the session

Port administration seeks to lease Seagirt Marine Terminal

Michael Dresser of the Baltimore Sun reported on October 4, 2008 that the Maryland Port Administration has taken the first step toward leasing the Seagirt Marine Terminal to a private company that would spend more than $100 million to expand the terminal and then run it. The agency has agreed to hire a Florida-based consulting firm to identify possible bidders willing to spend $100 million to $120 million to expand Seagirt's capacity and then manage the terminal under a long-term lease with the state. The money is needed to build berths with a depth of 50 feet to accommodate the larger container ships that are expected to dominate world commerce after the widening and deepening of the Panama Canal is completed in 2014.

>> See the full article

	Jody McCullough Baltimore Metropolitan Council 410-732-0500 x1049 jmccullough@baltometro.org

Baltimore Metropolitan Council | 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310 | Baltimore | MD | 21224