Funding source: Caltrans

Contract number: 65A0533

Funding amount: $118,370

Performance period: 2/1/2018 to 6/30/2018

Transportation planning at the state, regional and local levels is becoming increasingly complex. This includes planning for infrastructure projects tied to goods movement.

• The new federal transportation reauthorization bill contains a specific title on freight for the first time. The National Freight Advisory Committee has prepared a National Freight Strategic Plan, another first in federal guidance, and US DOT has released guidance for State Freight Plans and State Freight Advisory Committees.
• Under Governor Brown's Executive Order B-32-15, state agencies have collaborated to develop a statewide Sustainable Freight Action Plan.
• Californiaissued a Freight Mobility Plan in late 2014. Its implementation (and updating) will require an understanding of how the supply chain works and the implications of trends in intermodal distribution and industry practices.
• The implementation of state lawson greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction (including AB 32 and SB 375) has changed the skill sets needed for planners, bringing new emphasis on sustainability and integrating transportation and land use planning.

Some foundation in goods movement and supply chain management will benefit those making decisions, projections, and assumptions about the transportation and warehouse sectors, among others, as part of the planning process.Under this Task Order, METRANS will design and implement two four-day training academies, one in the Inland Empire and one in Sacramento, for Caltrans staff from district offices and headquarters. The Inland Empire will have as its focus intermodal freight operations. The Sacramento session will include discussions of issues important to California's Central Valley, including agricultural supply chains.The classes will also inform and be informed by METRANS' work on the development of a freight capacity building study for Caltrans under Task Order 19. The classes will help testthe effectiveness of training materials and at the same time provide an opportunity for Caltrans personnel from different parts of the State and from different units to provide input on the need for freight-related professional development.