Project number: MF-2.2c

Funding source: Volvo Research and Educational Foundations

Performance period: 1/1/2015 to 12/31/2015

Project description

New York City roads and highways leading to the City are congested, in part, due to trucks delivering food products. Some of the deliveries are to the Hunts Point Terminal Market (HPTM) located at the Hunts Point Peninsula. HPTM is the largest fresh food distribution center in the United States. It is the source of 60%1 of food distribution in the New York Metropolitan Area. These trucks increase trafficcongestion, pollution, and wear and tear of the roads. In turn, this increases the cost of living in the City, commute time, medical problems and costs, and reduced productivity to name a few negative impacts. 

The goal of the study is to explore an alternative to the primary use of trucks for outbound delivery or pickup of food products from HPTM in the metropolitan area. The alternative proposed is the use of waterborne transportation, e.g., barges or freight ferries, as part of the food outbound-distribution system. The study's objective is to quantify the potential demand for waterborne services from which vehicle mile savings will be determined. The waterborne vessel will be loaded with food products at HPTM and moved (self-propelled or pulled) to a strategically located predetermined site in the metropolitan area. Customers will pick up their preordered food products from this site. After the waterborne vessel is discharged, it will travel back to HPTM for the next day's operations.