1
District Freight Plan Update
November 1, 2022
Resubmitted March 17, 2023
District Department of Transportation
SENT ELECTRONICALLY
District of Columbia Division 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
East Building (E61-205)
Washington, DC 20590
(202) 493-7020 – Office
www.fhwa.dot.gov/dcdiv/
In Reply To: HDA-DC
Mr. Everett Lott
Director, District Department of Transportation
250 M Street, SE, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20003
Subject: District of Columbia’s Updated State Freight Plan – BIL/IIJA Compliant
Dear Mr. Lott:
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) District of Columbia Division Office (Division
Office) has reviewed the District Department of Transportation titled District Freight Plan Update
(revised) on March 17, 2023 and received by the Division Office on March 19, 2023.
The Division Office finds that the Plan contains all elements required by 49 U.S.C. § 70202. The State
has, therefore, met the prerequisite in 23 U.S.C. § 167(h)(4) that it develops a State Freight Plan in
accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 70202 before it may obligate funds apportioned to the State under 23
U.S.C. § 104(b)(5). The State may now obligate such funds for projects that meet all National
Highway Freight Program (“NHFP”) eligibility requirements described in 23 U.S.C. § 167, and all
other applicable Federal requirements.
Please be advised that the Division Office’s finding that the Plan satisfies the requirements of 49 U.S.C.
§ 70202 and 23 U.S.C. § 167(h)(4) is not a determination that the projects listed in the freight
investment plan component of the Plan required by 49 U.S.C. § 70202(c)(2) meet all other NHFP
eligibility requirements set forth in 23 U.S.C. § 167, or any other applicable Federal requirement.
If you have any questions regarding NHFP eligibility requirements, please contact
[email protected] or 202 493-7031.
Sincerely,
Joseph C. Lawson
Division Administrator
JOSEPH C
LAWSON
Digitally signed by
JOSEPH C LAWSON
Date: 2023.06.12
10:16:26 -04'00'
June 12, 2023
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Table of Contents
1.0 Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 7
2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 15
3.0 Strategic Goals & Objectives .................................................................................. 17
1.1. Federal Requirements .......................................................................................................... 17
1.2. State Strategic Vision, Goals & Objectives ....................................................................... 18
1.2.1. Vision ....................................................................................................................................... 19
1.2.2. Goal 1: Mobility ....................................................................................................................... 19
1.2.3. Goal 2: Sustainability ............................................................................................................. 19
1.2.4. Goal 3: Management and Operations (State of Good Repair) ....................................... 20
1.2.5. Goal 4: Safety ......................................................................................................................... 21
1.2.6. Goal 5: Security ...................................................................................................................... 21
1.2.7. Goal 6: Equity ......................................................................................................................... 21
4.0 Freight Infrastructure ........................................................................................... 22
1.0. Highway .................................................................................................................................. 22
1.0.0. Pavement Type & Condition ................................................................................................ 25
1.0.1. Bridge Characteristics & Condition ..................................................................................... 26
1.0.2. Loading Zones ........................................................................................................................ 26
1.1. Rail .......................................................................................................................................... 27
1.2. Air ............................................................................................................................................ 28
1.3. Maritime / River ..................................................................................................................... 30
1.0. Commercial Ports ................................................................................................................. 31
1.1. Truck Parking Facilities and Safety .................................................................................... 33
1.2. Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFC) ........................................................................... 34
1.2.1. CUFC Identification Process ................................................................................................ 36
1.2.2. Washington, DC Critical Urban Freight Corridors ............................................................. 37
5.0 Freight Demand & Economy ................................................................................... 42
3
1.3. Role of Freight in the District Economy ............................................................................. 42
1.4. Freight Generators ................................................................................................................ 44
1.5. Economic Forecasts ............................................................................................................. 50
1.6. Supply Chain Cargo Flows .................................................................................................. 50
1.6.1. Cargo Flows ............................................................................................................................ 50
2.2.1 Trade type and directionality .............................................................................................50
1.6.2. Freight Modes ......................................................................................................................... 52
1.6.3. Domestic and Foreign Trading Partners ............................................................................ 54
1.6.4. Commodity type ..................................................................................................................... 56
1.6.5. Key industries ......................................................................................................................... 61
1.7. Supply Chain Considerations .............................................................................................. 61
1.8. E-Commerce and Related Planning Considerations....................................................... 63
1.9. Military Freight Considerations ........................................................................................... 67
1.9.1. Strategic Defense Networks ................................................................................................. 67
1.9.2. Projects Overlapping the Strategic Defense Networks .................................................... 70
1.9.3. Considerations of Military Freight Movements .................................................................. 72
6.0 Freight System Performance .................................................................................. 73
1.10. Multistate Freight Compacts ............................................................................................... 73
1.11. Multistate Metropolitan Planning Organization Coordination ......................................... 74
1.12. Freight Resilience, Environmental, and Equity Considerations..................................... 74
1.13. Freight Bottleneck Inventory and Mitigations ................................................................... 79
1.13.1. Freight Bottleneck Inventory ............................................................................................ 79
1.14. Freight Bottleneck Mitigations ............................................................................................. 81
1.15. Freight-Related Congestion and Mitigations .................................................................... 82
1.16. Consideration of Heavy Vehicle Impacts & Mitigations .................................................. 83
1.17. Innovative Technology and Intelligent Transportation Systems Considerations ........ 84
1.18. Freight Needs & Issues ........................................................................................................ 85
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1.18.1. Competition for Space ....................................................................................................... 85
1.18.2. Truck Routes, Restrictions & Enforcement .................................................................... 86
1.18.3. Congestion & Parking Constraints .................................................................................. 86
1.18.4. Bridge Network on Truck Routes .................................................................................... 88
1.18.5. Vertical Clearance Restrictions ........................................................................................ 89
1.18.6. Pavement Condition .......................................................................................................... 89
1.18.7. Geometric Design .............................................................................................................. 90
7.0 Freight Advisory Committee Input ......................................................................... 91
8.0 Recommendations, Funding, & Investment Plan ................................................. 92
1.19. Freight Projects & Recommendations ............................................................................... 92
1.20. Freight Funding Sources ..................................................................................................... 97
1.20.1. Current District DOT Federal Funding Allocation ......................................................... 97
1.21. Freight Investment Plan ....................................................................................................... 97
9.0 Freight Plan Implementation & Performance Measures ................................... 103
1.22. National Freight Planning Goals ....................................................................................... 104
1.23. Recommended DDOT Performance Measures ............................................................. 106
1.23.1. Sustainability Goal ........................................................................................................... 106
1.23.2. Mobility Goal ..................................................................................................................... 107
1.23.3. Safety Goal ....................................................................................................................... 109
1.23.4. Security Goal .................................................................................................................... 110
1.23.5. Management & Operations Goal ................................................................................... 110
1.23.0. Equity Goal ........................................................................................................................ 111
1.23.1. Performance Measures Summary ................................................................................ 112
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 I Required State Freight Plan Elements and Location in District Freight Plan Interim Update........... 17
Figure 16 I Map of general location of S Street SW Dock ................................................................................. 31
Figure 30 | Washington, DC Critical Urban Freight Corridors ........................................................................... 38
Figure 31 | Washington, DC Critical Urban Freight Corridors in Downtown DC ............................................... 39
Figure 32 | Critical Urban Freight Corridor Descriptions ................................................................................... 40
Figure 2 I 2022 Tonnage for Shipments Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by Trade Type and
Mode (in kilotons)....................................................................................................................................... 51
Figure 3 I 2022 Value for Shipments Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by Trade Type and Mode
(in million U.S. Dollars) .............................................................................................................................. 52
Figure 4 I 2022 Freight Modes Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by Shipment Tonnage (in
kilotons) ...................................................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 5 I 2022 Freight Modes Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by Shipment Value (in million
U.S. dollars) ............................................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 6 I Top 5 Domestic Trading Partners, Ranked by Kilotons .................................................................... 54
Figure 7 I Top 5 Domestic Trading Partners Ranked by Value (in million U.S. dollars) ................................... 54
Figure 8 I Foreign Trading Partners for District of Columbia (in kilotons) ......................................................... 55
Figure 9 I Foreign Trading Partners for District of Columbia (in million U.S. dollars) ....................................... 55
Figure 10 I Shipments Within District of Columbia - Tons by Commodity: 2022 .............................................. 56
Figure 11 I Shipments Within District of Columbia - Value by Commodity: 2022 ............................................. 57
Figure 12 I Shipments Inbound District of Columbia - Kilotons by Commodity: 2022....................................... 58
Figure 13 I Shipments Inbound District of Columbia - Value by Commodity: 2022 .......................................... 59
Figure 14 I Shipments Outbound District of Columbia - Kilotons by Commodity: 2022 .................................... 59
Figure 15 I Shipments Outbound District of Columbia - Value by Commodity: 2022 ....................................... 61
Figure 17 I Change in Online Retail Spending from October 2021 to October 2022 ........................................ 64
Figure 18 I Change in Online Spending at Restaurants and Bars from October 2021 to October 2022 .......... 65
Figure 19 I Military Installations within the District of Columbia ........................................................................ 67
Figure 20 I STRAHNET within the District of Columbia .................................................................................... 68
Figure 21 I STRAHNET and STRAHNET Connectors within the District of Columbia ..................................... 69
Figure 22 I STRACNET within the District of Columbia .................................................................................... 70
Figure 23 I Projects within DDOT’s FY 2023-2028 Budget Overlapping the Strategic Defense Networks ...... 71
Figure 16 I Map of general location of S Street SW Dock ................................................................................. 66
Figure 24 I Projected Future Sea Levels at National Mall/United States Capitol in Washington D.C .............. 75
Figure 25 I EV Charging Infrastructure .............................................................................................................. 78
Figure 26 I The Top 20 Roadways in the District with the Highest Total Delay in 2019 ................................... 80
Figure 27 | District of Columbia Apportionments under the National Freight Program FY 2023-2030 ............. 97
Figure 28 | District of Columbia Freight Investment Plan (2023-2030) Projects Funded by NHFP Funds ....... 98
Figure 29 | District of Columbia Freight Funding Summary ............................................................................ 101
Figure 33 | Alignment of National Goal Areas and National Performance Management Measures ............... 105
Figure 34 | Sustainability Performance Measures ........................................................................................... 107
Figure 35 | Mobility Performance Measures .................................................................................................... 107
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Figure 36 | Safety Performance Measures ...................................................................................................... 109
Figure 37 | Enjoyable Spaces Performance Measures ................................................................................... 110
Figure 38 | Management and Operations Performance Measures ................................................................. 111
Figure 39 | Performance Measures Sums ....................................................................................................... 113
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1.0 Executive Summary
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed on November 6, 2021, requires
each State receiving funding under the National Highway Freight Program to develop a
State Freight Plan that defines the immediate and long-range planning activities and
investments of the State with respect to freight, and adds several new required elements
that a State Freight Plan must include. This update serves as the guiding document for
freight in the District while a larger consultant-led state freight plan update is underway.
Launched December 2022, the consultant-led update will include more in-depth data
analysis and community outreach and will be submitted to FHWA in December 2023. In the
interim, this update includes all of the required elements of a state freight plan per IIJA.
Chapter 2 Highlights: Introduction
The District of Columbia (the District) is a dense urban environment with a diverse mixture
of land uses that place significant demand on the city’s transportation infrastructure. The
city’s role as a regional employment center creates a high volume of commuter traffic in
peak hours, while the consumer-driven economy generates significant demand for freight.
The District has experienced a substantial population increase and sustained economic
development over the past decade, generating a growing demand for freight activity. While
businesses continue to thrive, contributing greatly to the economic needs of the city, the
District’s overall population growth has caused an increase in demand for housing,
employment, and goods and services, all of which create increasing pressure on the city’s
transportation network.
Chapter 3 Highlights: Strategic Goals & Objectives
The strategic vision is of an efficient goods movement system that is sustainable, safe, and
secure. All projects will be reviewed and prioritized through an equity lens and will work to
eliminate or minimize negative impacts on historically burdened communities. Additionally,
the vision is of reliable freight operations to carry the goods that will enable the District’s
economy to continue to grow and the residents and public and private sector
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
8
establishments to thrive. The vision is comprised of six goals focused on improving
mobility, sustainability, management & operations, safety, security, and equity. The District
will strategically invest in technology to support the goals of this vision.
Required State Freight Plan Element
Plan Location
an identification of significant freight system trends, needs,
and issues with respect to the State
Chapter 5 (pp 42-62)
and
Chapter 6 (pp 85-90)
freight policies, strategies, and performance measures that
will guide the freight-related transportation investment
decisions
Chapter 3 (pp 17-21)
and Chapter 9 (pp
106-112)
When applicable, a listing of—
--multimodal critical rural freight facilities and corridors
designated within the State
--critical rural and urban freight corridors designated within
the State
Chapter 4 (p 34)
how the plan will help meet the national multimodal freight
policy goals and the national highway freight program goals
Chapter 9 (p 104)
description of how innovative technologies and operational
strategies that improve the safety and efficiency of freight
movement were considered
Chapter 6 (p 84)
where heavy vehicles (including mining, agricultural, energy
cargo or equipment, and timber vehicles) are projected to
substantially deteriorate roadway conditions, ways to
reduce or impede the deterioration
Chapter 6 (p 83)
An inventory of facilities with freight mobility issues, such as
bottlenecks, within the State, and for those facilities that are
State owned or operated, a description of the strategies the
State is employing to address those freight mobility issues
Chapter 6 (p 79)
consideration of any significant congestion or delay caused
by freight movements and any strategies to mitigate that
congestion or delay;
Chapter 6 (82)
a freight investment plan
Chapter 8 (p 97)
the most recent commercial motor vehicle parking facilities
assessment conducted by the State:
--- the capability of the State, together with the private
sector, to provide adequate parking facilities and rest
facilities for CMVs engaged in interstate transportation
---the volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic in the
State ---whether there are any areas with a shortage of
adequate CMV parking facilities, including an analysis of
the underlying causes
Chapter 4 (p 33)
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the most recent supply chain cargo flows in the State,
expressed by mode of transportation
Chapter 5 (pp 50-61)
an inventory of commercial ports in the State
Chapter 4 (p 31)
consideration of the findings or recommendations made by
any multi-State freight compact to which the State is a party
under sec. 70204
Chapter 6 (p 73)
the impacts of e-commerce on freight infrastructure in the
State
Chapter 5 (p 63)
considerations of military freight
Chapter 5 (p 67)
Strategies and goals to decrease:
--the severity of impacts of extreme weather and natural
disasters on freight mobility;
--the impacts of freight movement on local air pollution;
--the impacts of freight movement on flooding and
stormwater runoff; and
--the impacts of freight movement on wildlife habitat loss; &
Chapter 6 (pp 74-79)
Consultation with the State freight advisory committee
Chapter 7 (p 91)
Chapter 4 Highlights: Freight Infrastructure
• Trucking accounts for almost all of the inbound and outbound freight shipments in
the District. Based on a recent DDOT transportation asset management analysis
1
,
91 percent of DDOT-owned National Highway System pavements were in good or
fair condition, 99 percent of DDOT-owned Interstate Pavements were in good or fair
condition, 90 percent of DDOT-owned Non-Interstate NHS Pavements were in good
or fair condition, and 82 percent of non-DDOT owned pavements were in good or
fair condition.
• The District has more than 600 commercial loading zones, each with signs that
specify days and hours of operation. These zones are short-term curbside metered
parking zones exclusively for commercial vehicles that provide local businesses a
designated space to receive deliveries when off-street options are not available.
• Approximately 44 million tons of cargo is shipped by rail that travels through, to or
from the District along 20 miles of active track. Rail traffic is nearly 100% “through”
with essentially no pickups or drop-offs in the District.
• While the DC region is currently served by three airports, Baltimore Washington
International (BWI), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Ronald
1
DDOT TAMP October 2022 Report
https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/TAMP_Master_SlideDeck_v3.pdf
10
Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), only BWI and IAD play a substantial
role in the movement of cargo. BWI continues to serve domestic demand, while
IAD’s growth in air cargo is more in the international sector. Both markets are
forecast to grow through the year 2040.
• Although the District’s boundary encompasses two major rivers, neither is a
significant source of freight movements. The only dock located on District land that
serves as a commercial port is adjacent to the South Capitol Street Bridge on the
Anacostia River. DDOT has used this S Street SW dock to support the inspection,
maintenance, and construction of bridges. There is also a small U.S. government
maritime operation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Anacostia River,
which has been used to import gasoline and aggregate. If existing District maritime
facilities are not preserved, there could be negative environmental, safety, and cost
implications of diverting these heavy materials to trucks.
• DDOT estimates that truck traffic in the District on Interstate roads is roughly 4% of
AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic) and is approximately 3% AADT on all other
District roadways. Between 2020 and 2022 there were 6,888 crashes involving
commercial vehicles in the District. These crashes resulted in 11 fatalities and over
1,000 injured persons. Of all crashes in those two years, 92 involved pedestrians
and 37 involved bicyclists. Half of all incidents were side swipes or rear end
collisions. DDOT understands that a lack of truck parking can cause fatigue-related
crashes. Since providing truck parking in the District is extremely challenging due to
our constrained right of way and dense development, DDOT is coordinating with
neighboring jurisdictions to identify regional truck parking facilities.
• The District National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) is comprised of Primary
Highway Freight System and Critical Urban Freight Corridor (CUFC) roadways. A
total of 74.98 miles of CUFC roadways are currently identified by DDOT for the
District. Since, under IIJA, the District of Columbia qualifies for up to 150 miles of
CUFCs, DDOT plans to identify additional roadway miles in the near future.
Chapter 5 Highlights: Freight Demand
• Goods movements into the District dwarf those traveling within or out of the District.
By weight and value, more freight comes into the District than leaves it.
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• Freight traffic in the District is expected to grow by 74 percent from 2011 to 2040 in
terms of tons, and 159 percent from 2011 to 2040 in terms of value.
• 129,950 jobs directly or tangentially affected by truck represented 15.8 percent of
the 823,000 jobs in the District (in 2011).
• Wholesale Trade and Manufacturing were perhaps the most truck-integrated
industry. The Retail Trade and Construction sectors were also highly dependent on
truck transportation.
• The top five trading partners by cargo tonnage are the District’s close neighbors of
Maryland and Virginia within the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Freight Analysis
Framework Zone, followed by Baltimore, the rest of Virginia, and the Virginia Beach
Norfolk metropolitan zone. The same pattern emerges when looking at the District’s
top five trading partners by cargo value.
• Foreign zones make up less than 2% of the District’s trade by tonnage. More than a
third of the District’s trade by tonnage is with Mexico and the Rest of the Americas
(not including Canada). Foreign zones also make up less than 2% of the District’s
trade by value, with the two biggest trading partners by value being the SW &
Central Asia zones.
• For commodities imported into the District by tonnage, nonmetal mineral products
and petroleum-based products make up nearly 40%, reflecting the construction and
energy needs of the region. By cargo value, however, electronics, pharmaceuticals,
miscellaneous manufactured products (such as cleaning tools, sports equipment,
jewelry, and toys), and motorized vehicles rise to prominence, reflecting its large
consumer market.
• In keeping with the District’s large consumer market, nearly 40% of the District’s
commodity exports by weight is comprised of waste / scrap. For outbound
commodities by value, pharmaceuticals and electronics make up nearly 40% of
District exports.
• Key industries within the region: construction and utilities, pharmaceuticals,
government, and a large consumer-based economy requiring goods and services.
• The increasing prominence of e-commerce has challenging impacts on freight
infrastructure and logistics. These deliveries require infrastructure such as
distribution centers and curb space or loading dock access to unload goods. This
poses challenges in the District because of the limited and highly contested curb
space. DDOT is exploring new strategies and policies to address these challenges.
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• As for military freight considerations, DDOT has identified the Strategic Highway
Network (STRAHNET) and the Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET), any
DDOT related projects that might overlap those networks, and general military
freight considerations to incorporate into planning efforts.
Chapter 6 Highlights: Freight System Performance
• Coalitions that forge multi-state freight connections and contribute to planning and
operations management, to which the District of Columbia is a party, include: The
Eastern Transportation Coalition (TETC), M-495 Potomac River Commuter Fast
Ferry Project, and the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board
(TPB), the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the region.
• DDOT’s freight program expands on resilience, environmental, and equity
considerations already within District plans, such as MoveDC and Sustainable 2.0.
To prepare for climate change and transportation disruptions, the District is investing
in green infrastructure and projects that create network redundancy. To support the
District’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, DDOT is leading a delivery microhub
feasibility study, developing a delivery demand management program, and investing
in electric vehicle charging. To reduce wildlife impacts, commercial access to wildlife
habitats will continue to be restricted. Additionally, all DDOT freight projects will
prioritize safety and equity.
• The District’s top 20 freight bottlenecks, or roadways with the highest total delay in
2019, align with freight corridors the agency has identified for improvements,
including I-395 and the I-295/Malcolm X interchange. While these projects will
improve freight performance in the long term, DDOT anticipates that they will have
negative short-term impacts on truck travel time reliability during construction.
• To help mitigate freight-related congestion, DDOT has hired a dedicated staff to
manage curbside commercial vehicle loading zones, optimized signal timing along
priority freight corridors; is researching policy and technology improvements to its
oversize/overweight vehicle permitting process, and developing a delivery demand
management program to reduce loading impacts.
• Regarding heavy vehicles, the District manages an oversize/overweight permitting
process, coordinates with its enforcement partners, is investing in upgrades to its
existing weigh station and weigh-in-motion facilities, and implements its
transportation asset management plan.
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• DDOT is investing in technology to support enforcement and data collection via WIM
technology upgrades and automated enforcement technology.
• Freight needs cluster around constraints—limited roadway and curb space, aging
infrastructure, low clearances—and increased demands on those constraints, such
as growing population, economy, e-commerce, and extreme weather.
Chapter 7 Highlights: Freight Advisory Committee Input
• The District works with a group of stakeholders that incorporate the roles and
expertise described in Section 11125 of the IIJA to stand up a District Freight
Advisory Committee.
• DDOT shared this update with these stakeholders, held a virtual open house to
provide context, and requested comments for the agency to incorporate before its
submission to FHWA, explaining that a larger, consultant-led update was underway.
• DDOT has received and incorporated comments from more than 8 freight advisory
committee members in this update.
Chapter 8 Highlights: Recommendations, Funding & Investment Plan
This plan incorporates the following recommendations:
• Maintain a freight advisory committee
• Improve curbside loading operations
• Focus additional resources on inter-jurisdictional cooperation in rail planning to
preserve and enhance rail throughput
• Provide publicly available comprehensive & up to date truck route information
• Update Freight Design Guidelines
• Invest in Freight Data
• Coordinate with FMCSA, NHTSA, and Vision Zero to support road safety
• Coordinate with Bus Priority / Sustainable Transportation Projects to maintain
goods movement and mitigate truck conflicts
• Update Oversize/Overweight Routing Process and Policy
• Support Existing Weigh In Motion Systems
• Invest in Truck Enforcement Equipment
• Study Positive Truck Route Signage
• Regularly Update State Freight Plan
• Invest and Implement Innovative Freight Delivery Practices
o Sustainable delivery pilot program
o Delivery Demand Management Program
• Invest in Paving Repair
• Maintain & Improve DC Port.
14
• Study Geometric & Safety Improvements along I-295
• Rehabilitate Minnesota Ave Bridge over East Capitol Street
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs (IIJ) Act requires states and MPOs to provide an
eight-year financially constrained freight-investment plan to include a list of priority projects
and proposed funding within their freight plans (49 U.S. Code § 70202). The District of
Columbia NHFP fund apportionment totals $50.67 million for FY 2023 through FY 2030.
DDOT’s approach for allocating federal freight funds is to apply the funding for federal
fiscal years 2023-2030 to projects preserving and optimizing existing resources, and
assessing the potential of innovative practices to mitigate freight movement impacts.
Chapter 9 Highlights: Implementation Plan & Performance Measures
This plan incorporates updated performance measures to assess success and meet
achievable outcomes over the next eight years:
• Sustainability: Interstate congestion as measured by the Truck Time Reliability
Index, GHG emissions from the transportation sector, and percentage of
Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) with DCFCs (direct current fast charging)
• Mobility: number of vehicle permits issued with appropriate routing and
engineering assessment (as needed), number of functioning static weigh station
and weigh in motion (WIM) systems, percent of primary freight route pavement in
good condition, number of tickets issued for unauthorized vehicles in loading
zones, number of tickets issued to vehicles in violation of through-truck
restrictions, number of tickets issued to commercial vehicles for double-parking,
number of street redesign and reconstruction projects utilizing freight
considerations checklist, and number of feeders on schedule for undergrounding
per the biennial plan
• Safety: number of crashes involving trucks, number of fatalities in crashes
involving trucks, and number of serious injuries in crashes involving trucks
• Security: number of hazardous material incidents involving truck, water, or rail
• Management and operations: percent of bridges on primary freight routes in fair
or better condition, percent of freight route pavement in good condition, number
of emerging technology pilots implemented, number of operational loading zone
spaces, and timeframe to install or relocate loading zones by request
15
• Equity: number of projects assessed for equity
2.0 Introduction
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed on November 6, 2021, requires
each State receiving funding under the National Highway Freight Program to develop a
State Freight Plan that defines the immediate and long-range planning activities and
investments of the State with respect to freight, and adds several new required elements
that a State Freight Plan must include. This update serves as the guiding document for
freight in the District while a larger consultant-led state freight plan update is underway.
Launched December 2022, the consultant-led update will include more in-depth data
analysis and community outreach and will be submitted to FHWA in December 2023. In the
interim, this update includes all of the required elements of a state freight plan per IIJA
specifications.
The District of Columbia (the District) is a dense urban environment with a diverse mixture
of land uses that place significant demand on the city’s transportation infrastructure. The
city’s role as an employment center for the region creates a high volume of commuter
traffic in peak hours, while the consumer driven economy generates significant demand for
freight movement.
The District has experienced a substantial population increase and sustained economic
development over the past decade, generating a growing demand for freight activity. In
2021, the District had an estimated population of 670,050. While businesses continue to
thrive, contributing to the city’s economy, population growth increases demand for housing,
employment, and goods and services, all of which create increasing pressure on the city’s
transportation network.
2. INTRODUCTION
16
The 2022 INRIX Traffic Scorecard
2
ranked the Washington, DC Region as the 20
th
worst in
congestion among major metropolitan areas – behind Los Angeles, San Francisco, New
York and Boston. And congestion is expected to get worse: According to the Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments’ 2022 Congestion Management Process Technical
Report, the Metropolitan Washington region is expected to be home to 23% more residents
and 29% more jobs by 2045, creating a demand on roadways that is expected to outpace
the increase in supply, and leading to significant increase in congestion
3
.
In addition to the congestion caused by a high volume of private vehicles traveling into the
city, the District’s transportation infrastructure is shared with other modes such as transit
vehicles and bicyclists. Many of the city’s residents rely on the extensive bus system and
services to conduct their daily business. Surface transit options such as the Washington
Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metrobus, DDOT’s Circulator, and the
development of a streetcar system, initiated on H Street NE, provide an essential service to
the estimated 24 percent of District households that do not have access to motor vehicle.
In addition to local transit services, the District’s transportation network also supports
regional transit with over 300 commuter buses entering the city every weekday. As well as
the traditional transit options, the District also has a well-established and successful bicycle
program. In 2010, DDOT launched the largest bike-sharing program in the country (Capital
Bikeshare) and has installed over 50 miles of bike lanes and 64 miles of signed bike routes
in the intervening years. All of these modes are important parts of the District’s
transportation network, but they create competing demands on infrastructure that has few
options to expand.
In 2011, the District moved $21.7 billion and 16.8 billion tons in domestic goods to, within,
and from the District. By 2040, the District’s freight system will move over $61.2 billion
worth of goods, weighing 28.9 billion tons. In order to accommodate this projected increase
in freight movement, the District Freight Plan will outline freight transportation strategies
and recommendations to support sustainable economic growth and balance the needs
between communities and various industries in the District.
2
https://inrix.com/scorecard/#city-ranking-list
3
MWCOG 2022 Congestion Management Process Technical Report:
https://www.mwcog.org/file.aspx?D=ioxzbWHMefHpfjALW7Km9f93c7oxosp01AvVc%2fwclvo%3d&A=tE1fNwsPMzwIS
k6ug%2b6UeMZgnRrrgdda6gMUaGSBVH4%3d
17
3.0 Strategic Goals & Objectives
1.1. Federal Requirements
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires that States complete a State Freight
Plan in order to obligate freight formula funds under 23 U.S.C. 167.
There are 17 federally required elements that all State Freight Plans must address for each
of the transportation modes. The list below indicates where that requirement can be found
within this guiding document:
Figure 1 I Required State Freight Plan Elements and Location in Freight Plan Update
#
Required State Freight Plan Element
Plan Location
1
an identification of significant freight system trends, needs,
and issues with respect to the State
Chapters 5 and 6
2
freight policies, strategies, and performance measures that
will guide the freight-related transportation investment
decisions
Chapters 3 and 9
3
When applicable, a listing of—
--multimodal critical rural freight facilities and corridors
designated within the State
--critical rural and urban freight corridors designated within
the State
Chapter 4
4
how the plan will help meet the national multimodal freight
policy goals and the national highway freight program
goals
Chapter 9
5
description of how innovative technologies and operational
strategies that improve the safety and efficiency of freight
movement were considered
Chapter 6
3. STRATEGIC GOALS & OBJECTIVES
18
6
where heavy vehicles (including mining, agricultural,
energy cargo or equipment, and timber vehicles) are
projected to substantially deteriorate roadway conditions,
ways to reduce or impede the deterioration
Chapter 6
7
An inventory of facilities with freight mobility issues, such
as bottlenecks, within the State, and for those facilities that
are State owned or operated, a description of the
strategies the State is employing to address those freight
mobility issues
Chapter 6
8
consideration of any significant congestion or delay caused
by freight movements and any strategies to mitigate that
congestion or delay;
Chapter 6
9
a freight investment plan
Chapter 8
10
the most recent commercial motor vehicle parking facilities
assessment conducted by the State:
--- the capability of the State, together with the private
sector, to provide adequate parking facilities and rest
facilities for CMVs engaged in interstate transportation
---the volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic in the
State ---whether there are any areas with a shortage of
adequate CMV parking facilities, including an analysis of
the underlying causes
Chapter 4
11
the most recent supply chain cargo flows in the State,
expressed by mode of transportation
Chapter 5
12
an inventory of commercial ports in the State
Chapter 4
13
consideration of the findings or recommendations made by
any multi-State freight compact to which the State is a
party under sec. 70204
Chapter 6
14
the impacts of e-commerce on freight infrastructure in the
State
Chapter 5
15
considerations of military freight
Chapter 5
16
Strategies and goals to decrease:
--the severity of impacts of extreme weather and natural
disasters on freight mobility;
--the impacts of freight movement on local air pollution;
--the impacts of freight movement on flooding and
stormwater runoff; and
--the impacts of freight movement on wildlife habitat loss;
and
Chapter 6
17
Consultation with the State freight advisory committee
Chapter 7
1.2. State Strategic Vision, Goals & Objectives
The strategic vision for the District of Columbia Freight Plan is intended to inform long-
term planning and transportation decision-making for the District and the region. The
19
strategic vision includes high level goals for freight planning within the District as well
as specific elements of what will comprise the future system to best serve the District.
The vision is consistent with the current Federal transportation legislation, IIJA, which
places new emphasis on e-commerce, equity, and environmental concerns within a
multimodal freight network. The vision also builds on the National Capital Region
Freight Plan 2016, developed by the Transportation Planning Board of the Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments. Elements of this strategic vision include mobility,
sustainability, operations, safety, security, and equity, and align with moveDC, the
District’s long-range transportation plan.
1.2.1. Vision
The strategic vision is of an efficient goods movement system that is sustainable,
safe, and secure. All projects will be reviewed and prioritized through an equity lens
and will work to eliminate or minimize negative impacts on historically burdened
communities. Additionally, the vision is of reliable freight operations to carry the goods
that will enable the District economy to continue to grow and the residents and public
and private sector establishments to thrive. District will strategically invest in
technology to support the goals of this vision. The following subsections outline the
details of the six elements of this strategic vision.
1.2.2. Goal 1: Mobility
The District’s moveDC goal of mobility, which includes improving system reliability,
accessibility and congestion management for goods movement as well as commuters,
is key to supporting the District’s economic vitality. This element of the strategic vision is
for a freight transportation system that can efficiently provide residents, businesses, and
public sector organizations in District with the goods they require. Continued growth in
employment and business activity in the District will be enabled by a freight
transportation system that is efficient and reliable, and able to handle increased goods
volume to support the District’s continued growth. The District’s transportation system
should provide for a reliable, accessible goods movement system to support the
District’s tax-paying business community and tax-paying residents.
1.2.3. Goal 2: Sustainability
The District has a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, and transportation will be a key
sector for achieving this goal. The District’s Sustainable 2.0 plan sets a target of
reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector by 60 percent. The
Department of Energy and Environment regularly tracks the District’s GHG emissions
to measure progress towards these goals.
Improving sustainability within the freight sector is a key element of the strategic
vision. As freight transportation equipment is a significant source of criteria pollutants
and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the plan envisions the District will benefit from
20
increased use of cleaner later-generation diesel engines, increased use of auxiliary
power units to reduce truck and rail locomotive idling, and greater use of advanced
routing and traffic information by truckers to reduce congestion, which contributes to
pollution, as well as noise impacts on communities.
Additionally, innovative last-mile delivery solutions such as curb management
strategies, delivery microhubs, and common carrier lockers are also effective methods
to reduce emissions and vehicle miles traveled within the District, and can help
minimize the negative environmental impacts of freight movement (especially on
historically over-burdened communities); these are discussed in more detail in the E-
Commerce and Related Planning Considerations section.
Rail freight operations through the District are also important to the region and will be
taken into consideration in rail planning. Investments in regional rail infrastructure,
such as Long Bridge, will enhance the operational capabilities of both rail freight and
passenger operations by removing existing bottlenecks and clearance restrictions, and
possibly expand rail service to the District. These actions would not only benefit
existing or potential rail users, but also reduce of the number of trucks traveling
through the region, producing safety and environmental benefits for the area.
1.2.4. Goal 3: Management and Operations (State of Good Repair)
As one of its moveDC goals, DDOT will ensure the state of good repair for
existing assets by investing in maintenance and operations, and the advances in
technology that will support a state of good repair for District infrastructure.
This vision includes supporting a robust paving plan and enforcing vehicle size
and weight regulations. Asset management such as signal timing improvements
and updated roadway designs that accommodate truck movements supports
efficient freight operations while minimizing traffic impacts. This vision also
incorporates truck operating needs into transportation planning and land-use
planning. Truck corridor preservation, truck turning radii considerations, loading
dock access provision, assuring truck parking availability, and efficient truck
permitting are all to be incorporated into comprehensive planning in the District.
Support for continued maritime and rail freight operations will also be
incorporated into the plan to preserve access to non-truck modes of transport.
The vision is for all planning in the District to have freight operations
incorporated due to the shared use of the transportation system by freight,
transit, personal vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Investing in advanced
permitting systems will support the integrity of District infrastructure, along with
improved data collection for planning and tracking purposes. Roadway
engineering and intelligent transportation system technologies will accommodate
21
the operational characteristics of freight equipment while minimizing pavement
wear and infrastructure damage.
1.2.5. Goal 4: Safety
Safety is a goal laid out in moveDC; this goal states that “DDOT will design and
manage a transportation network that offers safe and secure travel choices for all
users.” Safety improvements and considerations in planning will result in fewer
crashes, property damage, injuries, and loss of life related to goods movement.
Developing street designs that accommodate goods movement while
incorporating safety improvements aim to reduce conflicts between trucks and
other transportation system users. This supports the District’s Vision Zero
commitment to having zero fatalities or serious injuries on District streets by
2024
4
. Investing in technologically advanced weigh stations and weigh-in-motion
systems support enforcement efforts and integration into national motor carrier
safety databases, as well as provide better understanding of existing conditions.
1.2.6. Goal 5: Security
The transportation system will provide for the secure movement of goods. Public
agencies responsible for security of the transportation system will have access to
information and an educated freight system workforce as partners in assuring
security for freight. Freight plans will be developed with considerations for the
special security requirements of the District, including cooperation with the agencies
responsible for security.
1.2.7. Goal 6: Equity
In the MoveDC plan, transportation equity is defined as “the shared and just distribution of
benefits and burdens when planning for and investing in transportation infrastructure and
services. Just distribution means investing in the communities and areas that are in the
greatest need that include, but are not limited to:
• People of color
• People with low income
• People living with disabilities
4
Vision Zero DC: https://visionzero.dc.gov/pages/2022-update
22
• LGBTQ+ people
• Individuals who identify as female
• Youth and older adults
• Residents at risk of displacement
• People experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity
• Immigrant and refugee communities
• People with limited English proficiency and literacy”
This freight plan shares the equity goal of moveDC, which states that “DDOT will advance
transportation equity by evaluating its policies, planning, community engagement, and
project delivery to ensure public investments in transportation justly benefit all residents,
visitors, and commuters.” All projects at DDOT, including freight projects, are evaluated
based on an equity assessment within the agency’s project prioritization and budget
process. Additionally, the DDOT freight program is prioritizing projects that aim to lessen
negative freight impacts in overburdened communities, such as the positive truck route
signage study and sustainable delivery modes pilot project, which are currently underway.
4.0 Freight Infrastructure
1.0. Highway
The highway section describes the extent and condition of the roadway system that
serves trucking in the District. The section includes points of entry, principal corridors,
and pavement and bridge condition. The project team drew from freight survey data and
DDOT’s information management system to develop the highway profile.
The highway system serves several important functions in the District’s freight
transportation system, including mobility for trucked freight, connectivity between
freight generating facilities to, from, or within the District, and connectivity between
airports, waterways, railroads, and businesses within the District of Columbia.
Trucking accounts for almost all of the inbound and outbound freight shipments in the
District. In terms of tonnage, 99.3 percent and 98.9 percent of inbound traffic moves by
truck, while in terms of value the shares are nearly identical at 99.5 percent and 99.9
4. FREIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE
23
percent, respectively.
Almost all trucks operating in the District have either an origin or a destination within the
city. In other words, there is very little truck through-traffic within the city. Additionally,
more trucks enter the District from Maryland than from Virginia. Further, inbound and
outbound truck traffic is heavily concentrated to the east and south of the District. The
percent of truck traffic entering and exiting the District is shown in Figure 1.
More than 40 percent of inbound trucks enter the District from the northeast on routes
such as US 1, and US 50. The eastern part of the District, and the areas of MD east of
the District, are home to many warehouses and transfer points, particularly along New
York Avenue and in the Landover and Lanham, Maryland, areas. Additionally, truck
traffic from Baltimore and other locations on the Eastern Shore enters the District from
the east. There is also substantial truck traffic, 35 percent, from Maryland to southeast
Washington. Similarly, for outbound traffic, over 75 percent of trucks leave via the
District’s eastern and southern borders with Maryland.
Figure 1: Inbound and Outbound Truck Traffic
24
In 2010, DDOT developed a city-wide truck and bus route system to improve the
management and monitoring of truck and bus traffic in the city under a single,
comprehensive regulatory system. Specific routes were designated as part of the
truck and bus route system based on a variety of factors, which included
engineering characteristics, roadway classifications, planner review, industry and
community feedback, and field observations. Routes included in the truck and
bus route system were designated as primary or restricted.
A “primary route” designation indicates the road meets technical standards, can
handle high truck traffic volumes, or serves major truck and/or bus destinations. A
“restricted route” designation indicates a road that may not be used by trucks or
buses for any purpose due to security reasons, inadequate capacity, or the
residential quality of the area. Roads in the District that have neither a “primary
route” or “restricted route” designation may have trucks and/or buses travel on
them, but only for an official business need. All trucks or buses which must travel
on a non-designated road must take the most direct access road to their
destination, conduct their business (i.e. deliver a package) and take the most
direct road back to a ‘primary route’ for travel through the rest of the city. The
District’s truck and bus route and restrictions map is shown below.
Figure 2: Truck Routes in Washington, DC
25
1.0.0. Pavement Type & Condition
Pavement conditions on the District’s roadways are surveyed regularly to
26
measure rutting, cracking, and roughness. This information is summarized into a
pavement condition index (PCI) that ranges from zero to 100; where 80-100
represent good condition, 65-79 fair, and <64 poor. In general, trucks, due to their
greater per-axle loads, cause more roadway damage than automobiles. It is
important to note that proper distribution of weight across axles helps to minimize
the impact of additional weight on pavement and is a greater factor in
determining the extent of damage than the absolute weight of a load (i.e., the
lower the weight per axle the lesser the road damage caused by that vehicle).
In the District, asphalt overlay on concrete accounts for 100 percent of the
primary route lane-miles. As per a recent DDOT transportation asset
management analysis
5
, 91 percent of DDOT-owned National Highway System
pavements were in good or fair condition, 99 percent of DDOT-owned Interstate
Pavements were in good or fair condition, 90 percent of DDOT-owned Non-
Interstate NHS Pavements were in good or fair condition, and 82 percent on non-
DDOT owned pavements were in good or fair condition.
1.0.1. Bridge Characteristics & Condition
The entire bridge system within the District is comprised of 265 bridges, 160 of
which are on the primary truck route network. Individual analyses of bridge
characteristics (material, age, and condition) along the primary truck route
network are beyond the scope of this task, but in general, 88 percent of NHS
Bridges are in good or fair condition, 92 percent of DDOT-owned NHS bridges
are in good or fair condition, an only 42 percent of National Park Service-owned
NHS bridges are in good or fair condition
6
.
1.0.2. Loading Zones
Commercial loading zones are short-term curbside metered parking zones exclusively for
commercial vehicles. These zones provide local businesses a designated space to receive
deliveries when off-street options are not available. To keep these zones free for active
loading – and reduce double-parking in travel or bike lanes – longer-term commercial
vehicle parking should be accommodated off-street, where feasible.
The District has more than 600 commercial loading zones, each with signs that specify
days and hours of operation, which are typically between 7:00 AM and 6:30 PM, for time
5
DDOT TAMP October 2022 Report
https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/TAMP_Master_SlideDeck_v3.pdf
6
DDOT TAMP October 2022 Report
https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/TAMP_Master_SlideDeck_v3.pdf
27
periods up to 2 hours at a time, unless otherwise posted. A map of commercial loading
zones is available at: https://godcgo.com/dc-truck-and-bus-map.
Commercial vehicles must pay to use commercial loading zones by purchasing annual or
daily permits via DDOT’s Transportation Online Permitting System, TOPS
(https://tops.ddot.dc.gov/), or by paying on a per-use basis via the District’s pay-by-cell
provider (posted on the sign).
1.1. Rail
The rail profile describes the use, extent, and condition of the freight rail system
that serves the District. This section is sourced from DDOT materials. Freight
railroads in the U.S. are generally categorized as Class I railroads, Class II or
regional railroads, and Class III or short-line railroads. Some short-line railroads
are further classified as terminal railroads.
Approximately 44 million tons of cargo is shipped by rail that travels through, to or
from the District. The District of Columbia is currently served by two Class I
railroads; there is also one Class III switching or terminal railroad used for
passenger trains at Union Station. Table 1 summarizes the mileage data for the
two freight railroads operating within the District of Columbia, CSX Transportation
(CSXT) and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). NS does not own railroad lines but
has leased the trackage rights from CSX Transportation. CSX currently serves 3
customers in the District.
Table 1: Freight Rail Owners and Operators in Washington, DC
RAILROAD
REPORTI
NG
MARKS
WASHINGTON, DC RAIL ROUTE MILES
MILES
OPERATED
MILES
OWNED
MILES OPERATED
VIA TRACKAGE
RIGHTS
Class I Railroads — CSX
Transportation
CSXT
20
18
2
Class I Railroads — Norfolk Southern
Railway
NS
13
-
13
Source: CSXT and NS 2012 R-1 Annual Reports; AAR State Fact
In addition to 20 miles of active track, there are 6.2 miles of inactive rail tracks
located parallel to and just west of I-295 near the Joint Bolling Anacostia Base.
The city is looking into alternative transportation uses for this right-of-way.
The District’s rail network is expected to play a prominent role in the country’s
growing international and domestic rail intermodal movements. DC is located on
one of CSXT’s major intermodal routes. As such CSXT has undertaken a
massive rail infrastructure improvement program to remove existing restrictions
to the movement of double-stack container trains in the DC area. Currently, 30
freight-carrying trains enter the District of Columbia daily; this number is
28
expected to increase to 34 daily trains by 2040.
One such prominent investment was the Virginia Avenue Tunnel Project in
southeast Washington, DC. The tunnel, running under Virginia Avenue, featured
west and east portals near 2nd Street SE and 11th Street SE, respectively. The
project, begun in 2015, replaced the old tunnel with two new tunnels to allow for
double-stacked freight containers to travel through the tunnel. The project,
including streetscape restoration, was completed in 2018.
The Long Bridge Project is another prominent rail investment. Long Bridge is a
two-track railroad bridge owned by CSXT that was constructed in the late 19th
and early 20th century. It serves CSXT, Amtrak, and Virginia Railway Express
(VRE), is the only rail bridge that connects the District of Columbia and the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and is a major choke point for both freight and
passenger rail movements.
The Long Bridge Project will construct two additional tracks on a new bridge structure
over the Potomac River and railroad infrastructure improvements between the RO
Interlocking in Arlington, Virginia, and the L’Enfant (LE) Interlocking near 10th Street
SW in the District of Columbia. The purpose of the Project is to provide additional long-
term railroad capacity and to improve the reliability of Amtrak, VRE, and CSX
Transportation (CSXT) railroad service. This improvement project is currently being
managed by the Virginial Passenger Rail Authority and is in the preliminary design
stage, with construction scheduled to be completed by 2030.
Ongoing improvements to the rail freight network will further enhance the importance of
the District’s network by providing a key to the double-stack intermodal container freight
route from the East Coast to Midwest markets. Although the DC freight rail network is
small in terms of rail infrastructure mileage and the amount of freight currently
originating and terminating in the District, it plays a key role in the regional freight
network and with regard to local and regional rail passenger operations, with over 90
intercity or commuter passenger rail trains operating over the CSXT network daily.
Although these improvements will not likely result in the District becoming an intermodal
hub, it will enhance the operational capabilities of both rail freight and passenger
operations by removing existing bottlenecks and clearance restrictions, and possibly
expand rail service to District markets by reducing rail transportation costs. These
actions would not only benefit existing or potential rail users, but also result in a
reduction of the number of trucks traveling through the region producing safety and
environmental benefits for the area.
1.2. Air
This section provides a summary review of the airport facilities that serve cargo activity
in the National Capital Region. Information in this section is sourced from the latest
29
Washington-Baltimore Regional Air Cargo Study
7
. The DC region is currently served by
three airports, Baltimore Washington International (BWI), Washington Dulles
International Airport (IAD), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Both passenger airlines and dedicated cargo carriers transport high-value, time-
sensitive goods through these hubs. While these three airports are widely known for
their role in transporting thousands of travelers on a daily basis, both BWI and IAD also
play a substantial role in the movement of goods, or cargo, to and from the region.
Since DCA’s role in air cargo is so minor, it will not be discussed further.
Air cargo accounts for the smallest share of freight in terms of volume (weight), by
freight mode, but it accounts for the largest share in terms of monetary value per
ton. Air cargo is used to transport high-value commodities and/or commodities
requiring just-in-time delivery. These may include medicines and vaccines, fresh
food, flowers, or other perishable items, as well as precision-engineered and
manufactured electronic components.
Air cargo industry is forecast to expand worldwide. In terms of demand, both BWI
and IAD are poised to embrace this growth. BWI has historically served domestic
demand for air cargo. That market is expected to continue. Contrastingly, IAD’s
growth in air cargo will be more focused in the international sector. Both markets
are forecast to grow through the year 2040. Accessibility from the airports to other
parts of the region, however, will generally constrict between 2015 and 2040 due
to growing traffic volumes, a potential risk for the delivery of time-sensitive cargo.
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located 26 miles west from
downtown Washington, DC, located in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, VA. IAD is
situated with direct access to Dulles Greenway Toll Road, and is 14 miles from I-
495 (Capital Beltway) which connects to multiple metropolitan areas. Connectors
through I-495 include: I-270, I-95, MD 201, and MD 4. The interstate also
provides direct access to Andrews AFB (45 miles from IAD).
Baltimore Washington International (BWI) is situated with direct access to I-195,
six miles from I-95 which connects to multiple metropolitan centers along the East
Coast. Connectors through I-95 include I-495, MD 100, I-195, I-695, I-895, MD
295, and I-395. The interstate also provides direct access to Andrews AFB (37
miles from BWI) and the Port of Baltimore seaport (10 miles from BWI).Air cargo
trends at BWI and IAD airports are described below.
7
Washington Baltimore Regional Air Cargo Study - 2015.
https://www.mwcog.org/documents/2017/02/15/washington-baltimore-regional-air-cargo-study-airport-access-
freight/
30
Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI)
Between 2008 and 2014, air cargo increased slightly from 102,000 to 105,000 metric
tons. Through the year 2040, air cargo at BWI is expected to increase annually,
although modestly. Domestic air cargo accounts for the greatest share of total freight
handled at BWI, which is expected to remain at over 90% of total freight at BWI.
8
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Air cargo at IAD decreased sharply from 334,000 metric tons to 267,000 metric tons
between 2008 and 2014, though forecasts call for air cargo growth through 2040. IAD’s
air cargo market share position in the air system planning region will continue to expand
during the forecast period. This expansion will be fueled by increases in international air
cargo demand. IAD has extensive international service to other markets, including
Europe and Latin America, which fuel the bulk of the international air cargo demand.
Air cargo trucked in and out of the DC market will likely remain on interstate and
other limited access highway systems as much as possible, due to the
congestion and access issues on the District’s arterial road system.
1.3. Maritime / River
Although the District’s boundary encompasses two major rivers, neither is a
significant source of freight movements, due to the District’s service-based
economy, the rivers’ lack of accessibility, and lack of shipping infrastructure. The
region’s major rivers are the Potomac, Anacostia, and Occoquan. According to U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics (USACE), shipments
totaled 110,000 short tons of one inbound commodity in 2011: gasoline. Earlier
years (2000-2006) show 600,000-700,000 short tons total, due to shipments of
aggregate, probably for construction purposes. Some other tonnage shipments are
suppressed in the USACE data due to confidentiality.
Shipping the gasoline by truck instead of by pipeline would add 10 truck trips per
day, assuming 300 tons of gasoline per day and roughly 30 tons of gasoline per
tank truck. As a share of total truck traffic, this number is not significant in the
regional context.
There is also a small U.S. government maritime operation, by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers along the Anacostia River at the edge of a property that used to be a
Washington Gas gas manufacturing plant (closed in 1983, demolished in 1988).
The U.S. government owns a 0.35-acre portion of the old gas plant property and it
8
Washington Baltimore Regional Air Cargo Study - 2015.
https://www.mwcog.org/documents/2017/02/15/washington-baltimore-regional-air-cargo-study-airport-access-
freight/
31
is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps uses this small
section as a station for debris collection boats that patrol the Anacostia and
Potomac Rivers.
1.0. Commercial Ports
Although the District encompasses two major rivers, neither is a significant source of
freight movements due to the District’s service-based economy, the rivers’ lack of
accessibility, and a dearth of shipping infrastructure. The region’s major rivers – the
Potomac, Anacostia, and Occoquan – are part of a Federal initiative, known as the Marine
Highway Program, to provide financial incentives for investment that increases waterborne
freight and reduces highway demands. This is known as the M495 Marine Highway
corridor. These incentives may encourage shippers to look for more cost-effective means
of transporting commodities from and to the District. In the meantime, the only functional
dock located on District land that serves as a commercial port – commonly recognized as a
place where cargo is transferred between ships and trucks, trains, pipelines, storage,
facilities, or refineries, as per the Bureau of Transportation Statistics – is in Ward 6, on S
Street SW, adjacent to the South Capitol Street Bridge on the Anacostia River.
Figure 2 I Map of general location of S Street SW Dock
District
Dock
32
According to the District’s most recent research into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Waterborne Commerce Statistics (USACE), shipments totaled 110,000 short tons of one
inbound commodity in 2011: gasoline. Earlier years (2000-2006) show 600,000-700,000
short tons total, due to shipments of aggregate, probably for construction purposes.
Indeed, DDOT has used the S Street SW dock to support the inspection, maintenance and
construction of bridges. It has also been used by PEPCO to unload large transformers and
more recently as the location where the Captain White Seafood barge was dismantled after
leaving the SW Waterfront. DDOT does not have free access to any other developed dock
in the District, which makes this facility a significant and important asset.
In order for the District to continue to benefit from the existing freight capacity provided via
maritime transportation, this S Street SW District Dock will need repair and investments to
maintain its current use of providing water access for DDOT bridge inspection,
maintenance and construction projects.
There is also a small U.S. government maritime operation by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers along the Anacostia River adjacent to property to a former Washington Gas
manufacturing plant (closed in 1983, demolished in 1988). The U.S. government owns a
0.35-acre portion of that old gas plant property, and it is managed by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers. The Army Corps uses this small section as a station for debris collection
boats that patrol the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.
The District as a whole will also need to consider and avoid the impacts of encroachment
by waterfront development into berthing locations and navigation channels in the rivers.
This potential conflict, however, could also be an opportunity: The private waterside
development, The Wharf, for instance, has a large crane that may be able to add
redundancy and serve as a model for public-private partnership. The Wharf has a roadway
immediately along the water that may be serviceable for some water borne freight. The
Wharf facility could be a model to draw on for a public-private partnership at the Buzzard
Point location. Given that barge-based freight service is relatively infrequent in the District,
it may be possible to integrate the dock facility with a larger waterside development if the
needed operating parameters, such as truck access, priority access to the dock, and the
load capacity of the facilities, are identified within the planning process.
If the existing District maritime transportation system is not preserved, there could be
negative environmental, safety, and cost implications of diverting these heavy materials to
trucks. Marine shipping offers clear benefits in terms of air quality and other environmental
33
impacts as well as road-congestion reduction benefits. The District should strive to
maintain, and where feasible, increase opportunities to divert land surface mode
transportation to maritime vessels.
1.1. Truck Parking Facilities and Safety
DDOT estimates that truck traffic in the District on Interstate roads is roughly 4% of AADT
(Annual Average Daily Traffic) and is approximately 3% AADT on all other District
roadways. It is important to note that this truck traffic data only includes heavy vehicles and
excludes light commercial trucks. Light commercial trucks likely would raise these values,
as most trucks coming into the District are short haul/regional.
The District has unique constraints in regards to vehicle parking facilities. Currently, the
District does not have any rest stops in our jurisdiction; there are no existing facilities for
trucks or any passengers. While most distribution centers in the metropolitan region
outside of the District, DDOT encourages the limited number of distribution centers that are
within the District to provide parking for their vehicles on site.
The District’s regulations also limit where and how trucks can park on public thoroughfares.
District of Columbia’s Municipal Regulations Title 18 2405.5 prohibits the following vehicles
from parking on any public thoroughfare alongside a bike lane that does not have a barrier
between the bike lane and the road, or in front of, alongside, or in the rear of any private
dwelling or apartment, house of worship, school, playground, or hospital, except while
engaged in work at such place for which the vehicle is reasonably necessary:
(a) Any passenger vehicle with a seating capacity of more than fifteen (15) passengers;
(b) A boat;
(c) A trailer, whether loaded or unloaded;
(d) Any vehicle longer than twenty-two feet (22 ft.) or wider than eight feet (8 ft.); or
(e) Any vehicle that has been designed or modified to haul trash, junk, or debris
With only one exception, vehicles over 22 feet in length are prohibited from parking in on-
street metered spaces – other than in commercial loading zones, which are designated
34
metered curbside zones with time limits to encourage active loading and/or provide
commercial vehicle access for active service calls.
9
Providing truck parking in the District is extremely challenging due to our extremely
constrained right of way and dense development. DDOT, however, does participate in a
truck parking working group through the Eastern Transportation Coalition and seeks
opportunities to coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions to address truck parking needs.
Safety
Between 2020 and 2022 there were 6,888 crashes involving commercial vehicles in the
District. These crashes resulted in 11 fatalities and over 1,000 injured persons. Of all
crashes in those two years, 92 involved pedestrians and 37 involved bicyclists. Half of all
incidents were side swipes or rear end collisions. DDOT understands that a lack of truck
parking can cause fatigue-related crashes, but due to the constrained space, DDOT is
coordinating with neighboring jurisdictions to identify regional truck parking facilities.
1.2. Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFC)
The IIJA requires that roadways important to freight be identified and classified. Roadways
identified as a part of the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) are eligible for freight
funding and can be classified as one of the following:
▪ Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS): A network of highways identified as the
most critical highway portions of the U.S. freight transportation system determined
by measurable and objective freight data. Intermodal connectors, roadways
providing access to other freight transportation such as ports and rail terminals, can
be designated as part of the PHFS.
▪ Other Interstate Portions not on the PHFS: The portion of the interstate system
not included in the PHFS. These routes provide important continuity and access to
freight transportation facilities. States whose PHFS accounts for less than two
percent of the nation total PHFS mileage can apply National Highway Freight
Program funds to improve these roads.
▪ Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFC): Non-urban area public roads which
provide access and connections to the PHFS and the interstate with ports, public
9
Commercial vehicles up to 40ft with day or annual passes can park in metered zones between 10am-2pm within posted
time limits.
35
transportation facilities, or other intermodal freight facilities. (There are none of
these in the District.)
▪ Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFC): Urban area public roads which provide
access and connections to the PHFS and the interstate with other ports, public
transportation facilities, or other intermodal transportation facilities.
The District NHFN is comprised of Primary Highway Freight System and Critical Urban
Freight Corridor (CUFC) roadways. State transportation agencies are responsible for
defining the CUFC’s. Section 167 of title 23 (National Highway Freight Program)
establishes that MPOs in urbanized areas with a population greater than 500,000 may
designate public roads as CUFCs in consultation with state DOTs. Roads identified in the
DDOT truck route system were the primary source of designated CUFC roadways. Based
on Section 167, roads designated as critical urban freight corridors (CUFCs) must be in an
urban area and meet at least one of the following criteria:
A) Connects an intermodal facility to
1. the Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS),
2. the Interstate System, or
3. an intermodal freight facility;
B) Is located within a corridor of a route on the PHFS and provides an alternative
highway option important to goods movement;
C) Serves a major freight generator, logistic center or manufacturing and warehouse
industrial land; or
D) Is important to the movement of freight within the region, as determined by the MPO
or the State.
Public Law 23 U.S.C 167(g) provides that each State (District) or MPO (MWCOG) that
designates a corridor as either a CRFC or CUFC must certify to the FHWA Administrator that
the designated corridor meets the applicable CRFC or CUFC requirements. In an urbanized
area with a population of more than 500,000, the MPO, in consultation with the State, is
responsible for designating the CUFC. In this case the MPO, or MWCOG, will submit the
CUFC to FHWA.
The District NHFN consists of PHFS and CUFC roadways. Under IIJA, The District of
Columbia qualifies for up to 150 miles of designated CUFCs. This section of the report
36
describes the process for selecting 75 miles of CUFCs and identifies those critical
corridors.
1.2.1. CUFC Identification Process
In 2010 the District identified a truck route system. This system was created to address
concerns within the city regarding truck traffic and to improve the management and
monitoring of truck traffic under a single, comprehensive system. Specific routes were
designated based on a variety of factors including: traffic characteristics, functional
classification, pavement characteristics, connectivity to major roadways or commercial
activity, crash statistics, existing truck restrictions, stakeholder feedback, land
use/neighborhood context and field observation. The resulting network amounted to 114
miles of potential CUFCs. To meet the previous maximum CUFC mileage limit of 75 miles
for the District, 39 miles were removed, based upon specified criteria. DDOT coordinated
with its MPO during this identification process in accordance with federal requirements,
and the proposed CUFCs were formally reviewed and approved by the Transportation
Planning Board.
These forty-two (42) CUFCs were selected based on their importance to freight
movements within the District and connectivity to the freight network outside the District.
The list is shown in the table above. The following criteria were considered during the
CUFC identification process:
▪ 2010 District Truck and Bus Route Designation
▪ Additional Factors
•High Traffic Corridors
•Freight Generators/Commercial Districts
•Other Projects and Plans
•Roadway Classification
•Access
•High Traffic Corridors
•Freight Generators/Commercial Districts
•Other Projects and Plans
37
1.2.2. Washington, DC Critical Urban Freight Corridors
A total of 74.98 miles of CUFC roadways were identified by DDOT for the District. These
corridors are shown in the figures below. A table listing each route, its start and end points,
and length is shown on the following pages.
38
Figure 3 | Washington, DC Critical Urban Freight Corridors
39
Figure 4 | Washington, DC Critical Urban Freight Corridors in Downtown DC
40
Figure 5 | Critical Urban Freight Corridor Descriptions
ID
Route
Start Pt.
End Pt.
Length
(miles)
CUFC
_ID
Comments
1
16th St.
U St NW/New
Hampshire Ave NW
K St NW
0.9986
K
2
Georgia Ave.
DC Line/Eastern
Ave NW
U St NW
4.755
J, K, I
3a
Massachusetts
Ave.
Dupont Cir NW
9th St NW
1.0611
J, K
3b
Massachusetts
Ave.
7th St NW
North Capitol
St BN
0.7636
J, K
4a
Pennsylvania
Ave.
29th St NW
22nd St NW
0.4341
J, K
Runs through
Washington
Cir
4b
Pennsylvania
Ave.
14th St NW
3rd St NW
0.8831
J, K
4c
Pennsylvania
Ave.
Independence Ave
SE/2nd St SE
DC
Line/Southern
Ave SE
3.4834
K
5
Wisconsin Ave.
DC Line/Western
Ave NW
M St NW
4.1218
J, K
6
Connecticut Ave.
DC Line/Western
Ave NW
K St NW
5.0031
J, K
7
Rhode Island
Ave.
DC Line/Eastern
Ave NE
Scott Cir
NW/16th St
NW
4.5508
J, K
Runs through
Logan Cir
8
South Dakota
Ave.
Riggs Rd NE
New York Ave
NE
3.7028
J, K
9
Florida Ave.
9th St NW
H St NE
2.4386
J, K
10
North Capitol St.
New Hampshire Ave
NE
Louisiana Ave
NE
4.3487
K, I
11
14th St.
Rhode Island Ave
NW
I-395
2.5628
J, K
Runs through
Thomas Cir.
12
Nebraska Ave.
Military Rd NW
Tenley Cir NW
1.1852
K
13
H St.
Florida Ave NE
Massachusetts
Ave NW
1.7157
K
14
7th St.
Florida Ave NW
Independence
Ave SW
1.9797
J, K
15
Benning Rd.
East Capitol St BN
Florida Ave NE
2.6696
J, K
16
Missouri Ave.
Military Rd NW
North Capitol
St BN
1.3273
K
17
K St.
27th St NW
7th St NW
1.8414
J, K
18a
Constitution Ave.
14th St NW
Pennsylvania
Ave NW
0.7297
K
41
ID
Route
Start Pt.
End Pt.
Length
(miles)
CUFC
_ID
Comments
18b
Constitution Ave.
Pennsylvania Ave
NW
Louisiana Ave
NW
0.1781
K
19
Independence
Ave.
14th St SW
3rd St SW
0.9043
K
20
South Capitol St.
Firth Sterling Ave SE
Canal St SW
2.3447
J, K, I
21
M St.
US29
29th St NW
0.6764
J, K
22
Military Rd.
Nebraska Ave NW
Missouri Ave
NW
1.9496
K
23
New Hampshire
Ave.
DC Line/Eastern
Ave NE
North Capitol
St BN
0.702
J, K
24
Dupont Cir.
Massachusetts Ave
NW
Massachusetts
Ave NW
0.1635
K
Shared by 3a
and 6
25
U St.
New Hampshire Ave
NW
9th St NW
0.6756
J, K
26
Thomas Cir.
M St NW
M St NW
0.1569
K
Shared by 3a
and 11
27
Tenley Cir.
Nebraska Ave NW
Nebraska Ave
NW
0.1359
K
Shared by 5
and 12
28
Washington Cir.
Pennsylvania Ave
NW
Pennsylvania
Ave NW
0.2318
K
Shared by 4a
and 17
29
Scott Cir.
Massachusetts Ave
NW
Massachusetts
Ave NW
0.1165
K
Shared by 1,
3a and 7
30
New York Ave.
(US 50)
DC Line NE
7th St NW
4.6039
J, K, I
31
East Capitol St.
DC Line/Southern
Ave SE
Benning Rd SE
1.3113
K, I
32
Louisiana Ave.
North Capital St BN
Constitution
Ave NW
0.3042
K
33
Riggs Rd.
South Dakota Ave
NE
North Capitol
St BN
0.4001
K
34a
9th St.
Mt Vernon Pl NW
K St NW
0.0581
K
34b
9th St.
Pennsylvania Ave
NW
Frontage Rd
SW
0.8
K
35
12th St.
I-395 BN
Pennsylvania
Ave NW
1.1082
K
36
Francis Scott
Key Bridge
DC Line/GW
Memorial Pkwy
M St NW
0.3111
K
37
Mt. Vernon Pl.
7th St NW
9th St NW
0.1145
K
38
Anacostia Fwy
I-295
East Capitol St
BN
2.46
K, I
39
Kenilworth Ave
East Capitol St BN
DC
Line/Eastern
Ave NE
2.0424
K
42
CUFC_ID Route/facility descriptor:
H – Connects an intermodal facility to the PHFS, the Interstate System, or an intermodal freight facility.
I – Located within a corridor of a route on the PHFS and provides an alternative highway option important to goods
movement.
J – Serves a major freight generator, logistic center, or manufacturing and warehouse industrial land.
K – Corridor that is important to the movement of freight within the region, as determined by the MWCOG and DDOT.
5.0 Freight Demand & Economy
1.3. Role of Freight in the District Economy
Economic impacts of freight activity in the District of Columbia come from transportation
services and from industries that use such freight transportation services to trade goods.
The District’s most recent analysis of the role of freight in the District economy is based
on its 2014 freight plan
10
. This analysis remains relevant as the District has maintained a
10
District of Columbia Economic and Revenue Trends: November 2014:
https://cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ocfo/publication/attachments/DC%20Economic%20and%20Revenue%2
0Trend%20Report%20November%202014_rev.pdf
ID
Route
Start Pt.
End Pt.
Length
(miles)
CUFC
_ID
Comments
40
Water St NW/
Whitehurst Fwy
NW
350' east of Key
Bridge NW/C&O
Canal
27th St NW
0.785
K
41
Bladensburg Rd
NE
Eastern Ave NE
New York Ave
NE
1.22575
K
42
58th St NE
Eastern Ave NE
East Capitol St
NE
0.659558
K
Total =
74.98
5. FREIGHT DEMAND & ECONOMY
43
similar economic base and infrastructure network in the intervening years
11
. As such, the
analysis is summarized below.
Data came from the TRANSEARCH freight flow database product. TRANSEARCH-
derived, inbound, outbound, and intra-District commodity flow volumes and values were
applied together with the IMPLAN economic model to determine how such commodity
movements generate direct economic impacts in the District of Columbia. Further, the
indirect impacts associated with suppliers, and the induced impacts associated with the
re-spending of income, were also quantified. Combined, the direct, indirect, and induced
types comprised the total economic impacts, with each measured in terms of
employment, income, value-added (i.e., Gross State Product), output, and taxes. The
only economically significant commodity movements identified within the available
TRANSEARCH commodity flow database within the District pertained to truck
movements (i.e., inbound, outbound, and intra-district truck tonnage). In addition to the
truck movements, some inbound and outbound rail and water movements were
identified, but the magnitude was dwarfed by trucking and constituted such a small
fractional component within the region that the related estimates were within margin of
errors and thus deemed inconsequential for the economy.
This analysis determined that truck service is essential to the District of Columbia’s
economy. While the basic provision of truck service generated a modest 350 direct
jobs (450 total jobs including multiplier effects), truck transport users in the District
generated a much greater 103,670 direct jobs. Combining the total truck transport
users job impacts of 129,500 (inclusive of the 25,830 multiplier job impacts) with truck
transport-services jobs yielded a total truck-related employment impact of 129,950
jobs, with $9.2 billion paid in income and output of $18.9 billion.
In summary:
• 129,950 jobs directly or tangentially affected by truck represented 15.8 percent
of the 823,000 jobs in the District (in 2011).
• $9.2 billion earned by these employees represented 8.3 percent of the District of
Columbia’s total wage and salary income ($110.1 billion in 2011).
• The combined value-added impact, $12.7 billion, associated with the truck
operations and truck users represented 9.1 percent of Gross State Product-
equivalent ($139.5 billion in 2011).
• Total output measured $18.9 billion for both transport service and trade users’,
amounting to 11.2 percent of District-wide output ($167.6 billion in 2011).
• The $882 million in taxes associated with truck transport accounted for about
11
District of Columbia Economic and Revenue Trends: November 2022:
https://cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ora-
cfo/publication/attachments/Trend%20Report%20November%202022.pdf
44
21.1 percent of total tax collections in the District ($4.2 billion).
• Wholesale Trade and Manufacturing were perhaps the most truck-integrated
industry, as measured by the truck-related industry impacts in comparison with
the total industry sector economic measures (output, employment, etc.). In
addition, the Retail Trade and Construction sectors were also highly dependent
on truck transportation, as per the similar composition of impacts in comparison
with total economic activity in the District for each industry sector.
The analysis demonstrated the impact of truck transport on the District’s economy, and
that a vast majority of the impacts pertained to those firms that use freight truck to
deliver goods and/or materials they have purchased from businesses outside the
District. In turn, the resultant multiplier impacts associated with the indirect supplier
impacts and the re-spending of income (both direct and indirect) was significant. The
economic analysis demonstrated that freight transportation as provided by truck
activities and services plays a vital role in the District of Columbia’s economy.
Other modal shipments totaled 113,132 tons (predominantly water-based refined
petroleum imports going into tank storage via pipe) and comprised less than one half
of one percent of truck tonnage shipments. Further, except for the barged refined
petroleum, most all of these movements would be trucked from/to a rail yard (or other
intermodal facility) to/from the receiver/shipper. These facilities are located outside the
District, with the connectivity to them provided by truck. Hence, virtually any District
impact associated with other modal freight movements was already included in the
truck-related impact estimates.
1.4. Freight Generators
A freight generator is any establishment that produces something of commercial
value and is of interest to the plan because of the traffic and logistics implications.
Despite the absence of traditionally recognized freight generators, e.g., heavy
industry and large scale warehousing, there are significant freight movements within
the District. Apart from the more recognizable movement of small packages and
letters associated with the many governmental agencies and associated
departments and allied industries, freight movement within the District is aligned with
the needs of resident and workforce consumers. Over 60,000 locations in the District
have the potential to generate inbound and/or outbound deliveries. These locations
are depicted in along with the truck routes.
45
Figure 6 Freight-Generating Locations in
Washington, DC
Source: IHS Global Insight Freight Locator Database
A catalogue of freight generators was created to summarize the 60,000 freight-
generating businesses and non-profit agencies in the District into eight industry
categories. The categories are:
• Agriculture/Forest/Fish
• Mining
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Transportation/Utilities
• Wholesale Trade
• Retail Trade
• Finance/Insurance/Real Estate
• Services/Public Administration
The industries with greater than 100 employees as a percentage of total
46
District employment are presented below.
Table 2: Percentage of Organizations with Greater
than 100 Employees (Categorized by Industry)
INDUSTRY
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Agriculture/Forest/Fish
0.6%
Manufacturing
11.9%
Transportation/Utilities
2.3%
Wholesale Trade
4.5%
Retail Trade
37.9%
Services
42.9%
Agriculture / Forest / Fish
There are very few locations within the District that generate activities related to
agriculture, forestry, or fishing. However, the locations that do exist typically
reside in or are encircled by residential areas.
Planning efforts should focus on mitigating potential conflict between the
commercial vehicles servicing these businesses and the needs of local
communities.
Key Trends:
• Location within low-medium density residential areas and potentially
smaller commercial venues serving localized resident populations
• May lack adequately sized loading/unloading facilities to accommodate
commercial vehicles
• Truck configuration varies with commodity, small courier to tractor-trailer
– Predominantly inbound freight movements with little or no outbound
– Large vehicle configuration supporting inbound movements
to reduce shipment transportation costs
– Freight movement origins typically outside the District
– Long-haul vehicle operators may not be familiar with the area
Manufacturing
Many of the District’s manufacturing-related businesses are located in areas not
identified as heavy industrial or manufacturing centers. Due to limited space
available for manufacturing and shipping, the manufacturing businesses are
small, limited to production in small quantities producing unique manufacturing
outputs, e.g., specialty or promotional items. Though largely publishers and
printers, this category includes breweries and a perfume-toiletries manufacturer.
47
Key Trends:
• Located within the District center, near governmental and commercial areas
– Smaller vehicles to support local office needs
– Potential distribution capabilities
• Located in outer regions of District
– Facilities with warehouse characteristics, e.g., loading/unloading docks
– Expected to receive materials in bulk in larger configured vehicles
– Distribution to points within the District utilizing single unit vehicles
Transportation / Utilities
A limited number of organizations position fleets of trucks on properties within the District.
For the most part, motor carrier operators choose to serve the District from facilities in
neighboring cities such as Winchester and Fairfax, Virginia. Cost, capacity, and
accessibility are concerns when looking at locations within the District. Commercial real
estate costs are significantly higher in the District than in outlying areas. A lack of “truck-
friendly” roadway design limits the efficiency of accessing an available parcel. Space for
parking trucks is limited and trucks are banned from or unwelcome in many residential or
mixed-use designated areas. Utilities position fleets outside of the District for similar
reasons.
Within the District, however, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) operates off
Brentwood Parkway where it maintains a fleet of local delivery vehicles. USPS
also operates larger commercial (tractor-trailer) vehicles to transport mail between
its larger distribution center and local Post Offices. In addition, the city’s trash
transfer site in Ward 5 attracts city and private trash haulers.
A local household goods transport company is identified within this group. This
carrier type does not maintain equipment locally, as trucks generally move
directly from pick-up to delivery. The impact on local movement, for this and
similar businesses, is the need of tractor-trailers and other smaller commercial
vehicles to access warehouses for temporary warehousing. This may occur
when a delay at delivery has arisen, long-term storage is contracted, or the
delivery location requires a special vehicle which predicates “cross dock
activities” or unloading and reloading goods between the over-the-road truck and
the special vehicle.
An area of consideration for these types of access needs is the non-local nature
of the vehicle operator. The driver may only be passing through the District,
seeking access for delivery or pick-up of goods. Drivers without access to
wayfinding information may find themselves on roads not intended for their
commercial vehicle.
Key Trends:
• Located in mixed use and light commercial areas
48
• Fleet configuration typically smaller delivery trucks
• Storage and warehouse may attract large tractor-trailer, class eight
vehicles. Limitations on vehicle configuration size:
– Elevates operating costs through requirement of specialty vehicles
– Emissions increases due to increased trip volumes relaying
goods from less restrictive transfer locations to storage within the
District.
Wholesale Trade
There is not a large amount of wholesale activity in the District. The few
wholesale locations that exist utilize medium and larger commercial vehicles to
service the final mile delivery of goods. Representing a variety of commodities
(e.g. electrical supplies, beverages), these activities generate trips on a daily
basis to end users, or retail sites.
Key Trends:
• Located in areas parallel to US 50 towards the border with Maryland
• Inbound and outbound trips expected with more trips out to local consumption
points
– Inbound expected to be on larger tractor-trailer combinations
– Outbound to end user expected to be on smaller vehicles
Retail Trade, SIC 52-59
Tourism and government-centric travel produce a significant volume of freight
trips to support retail activities in the District. Just-in-time inventory strategies and
high consumption at the end user location contributes to the high frequency of
trips associated with these businesses. Restaurants, bars, and caterers consume
perishable goods daily and often require numerous replenishment trips
throughout a single day’s operation. This variety of trip types may include all
types of commercial vehicles. Groceries and other retail establishments also
require daily restocking of existing inventory. The larger the volume of goods sold
through a retail and/or grocery business, the larger the vehicles used to reduce
trip costs.
Key Trends:
• Retail activity located throughout District
• Predominantly inbound to location with little to no outbound
• Movements subject to inventory strategies and seasonal influences
– Holiday or specialty, e.g., Christmas, back-to-school
49
– Tourism seasonality
Services
Service industries (lodgings and health services) include business sectors with
unique supply chain needs. Hotels, motels, and other temporary lodgings
require a diverse set of supply chains. Related commodities include cleaning
chemicals, paper products, and food products. The health services sector
requires the delivery of highly specialized, perishable materials and requires
source-to-end-user delivery on an immediate and reliable basis.
Key Trends:
• Variety of vehicle configurations and sizes need to access locations
• Predominately inbound movements with little to no outbound traffic generation
• Activity in health services subject to:
– 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year access
– Reliable access
Summary
The District hosts diverse types of local freight generation, and where
businesses are located on or within close proximity of a major commercial or
freight corridor, the District’s primary routes accommodate those goods
movements.
Where freight generators are not on these corridors, the District’s restricted
routes present potential challenges to commercial vehicle movement. Through-
truck restrictions prohibit the use of the roadway as a cross area access route,
only allowing access to facilitate a local delivery or pick-up. The District’s finite
number of primary routes and numerous restricted routes can be challenging for
truck operators to navigate and create conflicts in residential neighborhoods.
This may occur more frequently when the driver is not regularly operating in the
District, as is often seen in the manufacturing and wholesale industries.
The District’s continuing review and interaction with the community and private
sector organizations involved in goods movements will present opportunities to
educate the public on the need to provide access for goods movement, as well as
refine routes and restrictions to ensure a balance between economic vitality and
community needs.
50
1.5. Economic Forecasts
Over the next 25 years, the District is projected to add more than 250,000 residents,
90,000 housing units, and almost 200,000 jobs. Areas in the Southeast and Northeast
quadrants of the District and Northwest quadrant east of Rock Creek Park are projected
to have the greatest population density increases. There is a higher rate of population
growth around Metrorail stations, particularly near the Columbia Heights and Stadium-
Armory Stations. The central business district, southwestern parts of the District, and
the Navy Yard will experience the highest increases in employment density. The Navy
Yard and the areas around the Union Station, NoMa, and Rhode Island Avenue
Metrorail Stations are forecast to experience an increase in both employment and
population density in the next 25 years
12
. In keeping with this growth, freight shipments
are expected to grow accordingly within a similar time frame: by 75 percent from 2011
to 2040 in terms of tons, and 159 percent from 2011 in terms of value
13
.
1.6. Supply Chain Cargo Flows
1.6.1. Cargo Flows
Cargo flows in the District of Columbia are provided by the Freight Analysis Framework
(FAF) for the following categories:
2.2.1 Trade type and directionality
Because the District of Columbia has few manufacturing facilities, the majority of the
goods demanded by its residents and businesses originate from outside of its
boundaries. Domestic-only trade data from the FAF 5.4 State Summaries 2022
Forecast
14
indicate that about 3.5 times more annual freight by weight is transported
into the District of Columbia (4,717 kilotons) from external jurisdictions than originates
within the District of Columbia and is transported to other jurisdictions (1,343 kilotons).
Freight that both originates and terminates within the District of Columbia accounts for
4,889 kilotons per year.
12
moveDC The District of Columbia’s Multimodal Long Range Transportation Plan December 2021 p 16
13
DDOT Freight Plan Addendum & 2014 Freight Plan: https://ddot.dc.gov/publication/district-freight-plan-addendum
14
https://faf.ornl.gov/faf5/SummaryTable.aspx
51
Figure 6 I 2022 Tonnage for Shipments Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by
Trade Type and Mode (in kilotons)
By cargo value, however, the District of Columbia imports much more cargo ($26,807
million) than it exports ($10,531 million). While most of cargo by value is also domestic-
only trade, it is a smaller percentage of the majority (78%).
52
Figure 7 I 2022 Value for Shipments Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by
Trade Type and Mode (in million U.S. Dollars)
1.6.2. Freight Modes
Trucks are the predominant transportation mode for cargo within, inbound, and outbound
of the District of Columbia. As detailed in the table below, nearly all of cargo by tonnage is
transported by truck within and out of the District, while approximately 15% of cargo
tonnage arrives by pipeline and barely 3% arrives by rail.
15
(Rail traffic is nearly 100%
“through” with essentially no pickups or drop-offs in the District.)
15
https://faf.ornl.gov/faf5/SummaryTable.aspx
53
Figure 8 I 2022 Freight Modes Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by Shipment
Tonnage (in kilotons)
Freight
Mode
Tons
Within
Tons
Within (%)
Tons
Out
Tons
Out (%)
Tons
In
Tons
In (%)
Total
Total (%)
Air (include
truck-air)
0.0
0.0%
20.0
1.5%
28.7
0.6%
48.7
0.5%
Multiple
modes &
mail
2.3
0.1%
15.2
1.1%
93.1
1.9%
110.6
1.0%
Other,
Unknown &
Pipeline
7.3
0.2%
5.5
0.4%
728.2
14.9%
740.9
6.9%
Rail
0.3
0.0%
45.3
3.4%
140.2
2.9%
185.7
1.7%
Truck
4,490.4
99.8%
1,256.5
93.6%
3,884.1
79.7%
9,631.0
89.9%
Total
4,500.2
100.0%
1,342.4
100.0%
4,874.2
100.0%
10,716.9
100.0%
Trucks also transport the majority of cargo in terms of value within, inbound, and outbound
of the District, as detailed in the below chart, but additional modes are used for freight
movement across District borders: More than 20% of cargo value leaving the District goes
by air and nearly 10% leaves by rail. More than a quarter of inbound cargo value arrives by
air and/or multiple modes and mail.
Figure 9 I 2022 Freight Modes Within, From, and To the District of Columbia by Shipment
Value (in million U.S. dollars)
Freight
Mode
Value
Within
Value
Within
(%)
Value Out
Value
Out
(%)
Value In
Value
In (%)
Total
Total
(%)
Air (include
truck-air)
$0.00
0.0%
$2,371.63
22.5%
$2,489.17
9.3%
$4,860.79
12.2%
Multiple
modes &
mail
$50.24
2.0%
$218.86
2.1%
$4,729.88
17.6%
$4,998.98
12.6%
Other,
Unknown &
Pipeline
$21.18
0.9%
$15.98
0.2%
$188.39
0.7%
$225.55
0.6%
Rail
$2.26
0.1%
$844.89
8.0%
$184.84
0.7%
$1,031.99
2.6%
Truck
$2,409.83
97.0%
$7,079.49
67.2%
$19,214.49
71.7%
$28,703.81
72.1%
Total
$2,483.51
100.0%
$10,530.84
100.0%
$26,806.78
100.0%
$39,821.13
100.0%
54
1.6.3. Domestic and Foreign Trading Partners
Using the most recent disaggregated Freight Analysis Framework data, FAF 5, the top five
trading partners of the District of Columbia by cargo tonnage are its close neighbors of
Maryland and Virginia within the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Freight Analysis
Framework Zone, followed by Baltimore, the rest of Virginia, and the Virginia Beach Norfolk
metropolitan zone
16
.
Figure 10 I Top 5 Domestic Trading Partners, Ranked by Kilotons
Rank
Freight Analysis Framework Zone
KTons In
KTons Out
KTons
(In & out)
1
Washington DC-VA-MD-WV (MD)
1541.35
197.90
1739.26
2
Washington DC-VA-MD-WV (VA)
797.10
348.69
1145.78
3
Baltimore MD
904.77
114.86
1019.62
4
Rest of VA
221.23
739.88
961.11
5
Virginia Beach-Norfolk VA-NC (VA)
39.97
215.76
255.73
The same pattern emerges when looking at the District’s top five trading partners by cargo
value. By cargo value, the top five trading partners of the District of Columbia are its close
neighbors Virginia and Maryland within the Metropolitan Washington D.C. freight analysis
framework zone, and then zones further north along the Eastern Seaboard: Philadelphia
and New York
17
.
Figure 11 I Top 5 Domestic Trading Partners Ranked by Value (in million U.S. dollars)
Rank
Freight Analysis Framework Zone
Value In
Value Out
Value
(In & out)
1
Washington DC-VA-MD-WV (VA)
$6,396.43
$351.24
$6,747.67
2
Baltimore MD
$2,597.11
$163.64
$2,760.76
3
Washington DC-VA-MD-WV (MD)
$2,057.73
$485.77
$2,543.50
4
Philadelphia PA-NJ-DE-MD (PA)
$711.99
$36.12
$748.11
5
New York NY-NJ-CT-PA (NY)
$336.53
$301.43
$637.96
16
https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/
17
https://faf.ornl.gov/faf5/SummaryTable.aspx
55
As for foreign trading partners, foreign zones make up less than 2% of the District’s trade
by tonnage, based on Freight Analysis Framework 5 data. Of those foreign partners, more
than a third of the District’s trade by tonnage is with Mexico and the Rest of the Americas
(not including Canada). From there, Africa, Canada, Europe, and SW & Central Asia all
claim 11-15% of the District’s market share each.
Figure 12 I Foreign Trading Partners for District of Columbia (in kilotons)
Foreign Zones
KTons
Out
KTons
In
Combined
KTons
Combined
KTons (%)
Africa
11.70
1.99
13.69
11.8%
Canada
2.83
14.04
16.87
14.5%
Eastern Asia
0.17
5.94
6.11
5.3%
Europe
2.42
12.97
15.39
13.2%
Mexico
0.94
9.51
10.45
9.0%
Rest of Americas
2.05
31.01
33.06
28.4%
SE Asia & Oceania
0.14
3.39
3.53
3.0%
SW & Central Asia
16.46
0.73
17.20
14.8%
Total
36.72
79.57
116.29
100.0%
Foreign zones also make up less than 2% of the District’s trade by value, based on Freight
Analysis Framework 5 data. Of those foreign partners, the District’s biggest trading partner
by value is the SW & Central Asia zone, due to large exports. Europe is the second biggest
foreign zone for District trade by value, with an even balance of exports and imports.
Figure 13 I Foreign Trading Partners for District of Columbia (in million U.S. dollars)
Foreign Zone
Value Out
Value In
Combined
Value
Combined
Value (%)
Africa
$107.48
$15.85
$123.33
6%
Canada
$11.99
$96.96
$108.95
5%
Eastern Asia
$5.00
$91.53
$96.53
5%
Europe
$154.52
$169.58
$324.10
16%
Mexico
$19.13
$22.34
$41.47
2%
Rest of Americas
$71.34
$33.46
$104.80
5%
SE Asia & Oceania
$12.40
$16.97
$29.36
1%
SW & Central Asia
$1,162.30
$12.23
$1,174.53
59%
Grand Total
$1,544.15
$458.93
$2,003.08
100%
56
1.6.4. Commodity type
Top Ten Commodities by Tonnage within DC
Commodities relating to construction, such as nonmetal mineral products, gravel, and
sand, and wood products, make up approximately 82% of cargo tons transported within the
District. Electronics and alcoholic beverages coming in at 3
rd
and 5
th
place reflect the large
consumer base in the region as well.
Figure 14 I Shipments Within District of Columbia - Tons by Commodity: 2022
Data from the Freight Analysis Framework Version 5.4
Unit of measure is thousand tons
Outbound: Outbound flow from the given state to all other states (not including Within)
Inbound: Inbound flow all other states to the given state (not including Within)
Within
State (S)
Commodity
Tons
Within
Tons Within (%)
Washington
DC
4,500.2
100.0%
Washington
DC
Nonmetal min. prods.
2,831.5
62.9%
Washington
DC
Gravel
591.4
13.1%
Washington
DC
Electronics
216.7
4.8%
Washington
DC
Natural sands
204.5
4.5%
Washington
DC
Alcoholic beverages
129.3
2.9%
Washington
DC
Animal feed
107.0
2.4%
Washington
DC
Mixed freight
68.4
1.5%
Washington
DC
Nonmetallic minerals
63.0
1.4%
Washington
DC
Wood prods.
45.2
1.0%
57
Washington
DC
Articles-base metal
32.3
0.7%
Top Ten Commodities by Value within DC
When it comes to the top commodities by value moving within the District, the strong
consumer base of the District can be seen by having commodities such as alcoholic
beverages, electronics, meat/seafood, and furniture top the list. The category of Mixed
Freight comes from the Commodity Flow Survey and it includes items (including food) for
grocery and convenience stores, supplies and food for restaurants and fast food chains,
hardware or plumbing supplies, and office supplies. This category of freight high on the list
indicates strong consumer and business demand.
18
Figure 15 I Shipments Within District of Columbia - Value by Commodity: 2022
Data from the Freight Analysis Framework Version 5.4
Unit of measure is million U.S. dollars (2017 constant $)
Outbound: Outbound flow from the given state to all other states (not including Within)
Inbound: Inbound flow all other states to the given state (not including Within)
Within
State (S)
Commodity
Value
Within
Value Within (%)
Washington DC
2,483.5
100.0%
Washington DC
Alcoholic
beverages
612.3
24.7%
Washington DC
Mixed freight
314.5
12.7%
Washington DC
Electronics
246.4
9.9%
Washington DC
Nonmetal min.
prods.
183.0
7.4%
Washington DC
Furniture
128.7
5.2%
Washington DC
Misc. mfg. prods.
107.7
4.3%
Washington DC
Precision
instruments
107.4
4.3%
Washington DC
Articles-base
metal
106.5
4.3%
18
https://bhs.econ.census.gov/bhsphpext/brdsearch/scs_code.html
58
Washington DC
Meat/seafood
99.1
4.0%
Washington DC
Machinery
92.8
3.7%
Top Ten Commodities Into DC by Kilotons
Nonmetal mineral products, and petroleum-based products make up nearly 40% of
commodity tonnage imported into the District, reflecting the construction and energy needs
of the region. The category of “Coal- n.e.c”, short for “Other Coal and Petroleum Products,
not elsewhere classified”, includes things like liquified natural gas, liquified propane, and
asphalt and supports construction and other activities. The category of “Non-metallic
mineral products” includes construction materials, such as pre-fabricated concrete
components, building stones, and bricks, also reflect the large construction sector within
the District.
19
Figure 16 I Shipments Inbound District of Columbia - Kilotons by Commodity: 2022
Data from the Freight Analysis Framework Version 5.4
Unit of measure is thousand tons
Outbound: Outbound flow from the given state to all other states (not including Within)
Inbound: Inbound flow all other states to the given state (not including Within)
Inbound
State (S)
Commodity
Tons
In
Tons In (%)
Washington DC
4,874.2
100.0%
Washington DC
Nonmetal min. prods.
1,193.3
24.5%
Washington DC
Mixed freight
813.4
16.7%
Washington DC
Coal-n.e.c.
722.6
14.8%
Washington DC
Other foodstuffs
491.5
10.1%
Washington DC
Base metals
154.6
3.2%
Washington DC
Articles-base metal
128.0
2.6%
Washington DC
Alcoholic beverages
118.6
2.4%
Washington DC
Wood prods.
99.0
2.0%
Washington DC
Basic chemicals
95.9
2.0%
Washington DC
Waste/scrap
91.8
1.9%
19
https://bhs.econ.census.gov/bhsphpext/brdsearch/scs_code.html
59
Top Ten Commodities Into DC by Value
By cargo value, however, electronics, pharmaceuticals, miscellaneous manufactured
products (such as cleaning tools, sports equipment, jewelry, and toys), and motorized
vehicles rise to prominence for imported cargo to the District, reflecting its large consumer
market.
Figure 17 I Shipments Inbound District of Columbia - Value by Commodity: 2022
Data from the Freight Analysis Framework Version 5.4
Unit of measure is million U.S. dollars (2017 constant $)
Outbound: Outbound flow from the given state to all other states (not including Within)
Inbound: Inbound flow all other states to the given state (not including Within)
Inbound
State (S)
Commodity
Value In
Value In (%)
Washington DC
26,806.8
100.0%
Washington DC
Mixed freight
7,408.8
27.6%
Washington DC
Electronics
2,774.0
10.3%
Washington DC
Misc. mfg. prods.
1,904.0
7.1%
Washington DC
Pharmaceuticals
1,649.5
6.2%
Washington DC
Transport equip.
1,455.1
5.4%
Washington DC
Motorized vehicles
1,351.6
5.0%
Washington DC
Machinery
1,246.0
4.6%
Washington DC
Precision instruments
1,129.8
4.2%
Washington DC
Textiles/leather
859.6
3.2%
Washington DC
Articles-base metal
808.9
3.0%
Top Ten Commodities Out of DC by Ton
In keeping with the District’s large consumer market, nearly 40% of the District’s
commodity exports by weight is comprised of waste / scrap.
Figure 18 I Shipments Outbound District of Columbia - Kilotons by Commodity: 2022
Data from the Freight Analysis Framework Version 5.4
Unit of measure is thousand tons
Outbound: Outbound flow from the given state to all other states (not including Within)
60
Inbound: Inbound flow all other states to the given state (not including Within)
Outbound
State (S)
Commodity
Tons
Out
Tons Out
(%)
Washington
DC
1,342.5
100.0%
Washington DC
Waste/scrap
492.7
36.7%
Washington DC
Electronics
220.8
16.4%
Washington DC
Articles-base metal
153.2
11.4%
Washington DC
Nonmetal min. prods.
131.5
9.8%
Washington DC
Mixed freight
123.0
9.2%
Washington DC
Furniture
38.6
2.9%
Washington DC
Misc. mfg. prods.
32.3
2.4%
Washington DC
Motorized vehicles
30.1
2.2%
Washington DC
Meat/seafood
16.5
1.2%
Washington DC
Machinery
15.8
1.2%
Top Ten Commodities Out of DC by Value
For outbound commodities by value, pharmaceuticals and electronics make up nearly 40%
of District exports, with basic chemicals, miscellaneous manufactured products and
machinery rounding out the District’s top ten export commodities.
61
Figure 19 I Shipments Outbound District of Columbia - Value by Commodity: 2022
Data from the Freight Analysis Framework Version 5.4
Unit of measure is million U.S. dollars (2017 constant $)
Outbound: Outbound flow from the given state to all other states (not including Within)
Inbound: Inbound flow all other states to the given state (not including Within)
Outbound
State (S)
Commodity
Value
Out
Value Out (%)
Washington DC
10,530.9
100.0%
Washington DC
Pharmaceuticals
2,652.0
25.2%
Washington DC
Electronics
1,422.0
13.5%
Washington DC
Basic chemicals
1,097.8
10.4%
Washington DC
Misc. mfg. prods.
875.3
8.3%
Washington DC
Machinery
656.5
6.2%
Washington DC
Plastics/rubber
526.4
5.0%
Washington DC
Motorized vehicles
472.9
4.5%
Washington DC
Mixed freight
469.1
4.5%
Washington DC
Articles-base metal
412.9
3.9%
Washington DC
Chemical prods.
364.2
3.5%
1.6.5. Key industries
The above commodity flows within, inbound, and outbound of the District of Columbia
reflect the following key industries within the region: construction and utilities,
pharmaceuticals, government, and a large consumer-based economy requiring goods and
services.
1.7. Supply Chain Considerations
Multimodal Freight Considerations
Since most cargo enters, leaves, and travels within the District either exclusively by truck,
or via truck in combination with air or mail, the District’s supply chains are heavily
dependent on the roadway network to carry the goods and services needed by residents.
The District of Columbia recognizes that a reliable multimodal freight transportation system
is key to support regional supply chains. The District’s planned freight transportation
system improvement projects are detailed within its investment plan update in Chapter 14.
In addition, DDOT is investing in efforts to expand multimodal freight infrastructure and
62
reduce the truck-related impacts of goods movement within the District through the
following initiatives:
• DDOT has received funding to conduct a delivery microhub feasibility study and
then implement a sustainable delivery mode pilot. These projects should provide
insights into what infrastructure is needed to divert cargo deliveries to sustainable
modes such as e-bikes or foot couriers and reduce the impacts of last-mile
deliveries in the District.
• DDOT plans to invest in its District-owned dock along the Anacostia River that is in
need of inspection, repair and updating to continue its current use of providing water
access for large equipment and materials, including for DDOT bridge inspection,
maintenance and construction projects. The District as a whole will also need to
balance the needs of waterfront development with marine cargo need, as the former
may encroach into berthing locations and navigation channels in the rivers. If the
existing District maritime transportation system is not preserved, there could be
negative environmental, safety, and cost implications of diverting these heavy
materials to trucks.
• As the technology improves more freight vehicles will be able to transition to electric.
In anticipation of these technological advances, the District developed a NEVI
(National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan to use
federal funding to install EV chargers along highways. This will not only provide
important charging infrastructure for vehicles whose destination is the District, but
also to those traveling through the District to other destinations to support the
national network.
Freight-Efficient Land Use
DDOT also recognizes that supply chain cargo flows rely on distribution centers and
loading spaces to receive, sort and deliver goods to customers reliably. While land use
decisions are not directly within the jurisdiction of DDOT, the agency coordinates with the
relevant agencies and governmental bodies to educate and advocate for a better
understanding of freight needs and impacts within land use decisions – from the inclusion
of curb cuts and the dimensions of loading docks to the rezoning of freight corridors. At the
same, DDOT works to improve the operations of the land uses already designated to
63
support cargo flows, such as curbside commercial vehicle loading zones, with dedicated
staff in charge of their programmatic needs.
Driver Workforce
While truck driver workforce recruitment, training and employment fall beyond DDOT’s
mandate, there are opportunities to address operational needs that may help to ease key
burdens and challenges that truck and delivery drivers face, such as streamlining truck
permitting and routing within the District, improving availability of curbside loading zones,
and implementing congestion mitigation strategies.
1.8. E-Commerce and Related Planning Considerations
The increasing prominence of e-commerce has challenging impacts on freight
infrastructure and logistics. The term “e-commerce” is defined by the US Department of
Commerce as “a term that covers everything a business does online to sell to consumers,
both domestically and overseas” and includes: “the sale through a website, the online
advertising that leads to a sale, and the brand building that helps tie it all together as a
narrative for consumers.”
20
This definition is broad and includes many things such as the
online ordering of food to be delivered on demand or picked up by the consumer and the
online ordering of goods.
Growth of e-commerce
E-commerce had already been on the rise, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its
growth. During 2021, e-commerce sales totaled $870 billion in the United States; this
represents a 50.5% increase over 2019 sales and a 14.2% increase over 2020 sales.
21
Between 2020 and 2021 food and beverage e-commerce grew 170%; this represented
9.6% of all grocery sales in 2021.
6
E-commerce sales are projected to continue to increase
in the coming years; worldwide e-commerce sales growth is projected at 10.4% for 2023
and 8.2% for 2026
22
as part of a long-term growth trend extending through 2031. The
growth in e-commerce sales has also increased the number of returns; returns generate
20
https://www.trade.gov/ecommerce
21
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasongoldberg/2022/02/18/e-commerce-sales-grew-50-to-870-billion-during-the-
pandemic/?sh=69e9246e4e83
22
https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/global-ecommerce-sales-growth
64
additional commercial vehicle trips and labor. This growth of e-commerce and associated
deliveries poses challenges to freight planning that will need to be considered.
The distribution of e-commerce growth, however, varies throughout the District. The map
below shows the change in online retail spending from October 2021 to October 2022.
While many areas have seen a large amount of growth, other areas have seen declines,
especially in the southeast quadrant of the District.
Figure 20 I Change in Online Retail Spending from October 2021 to October 2022
23
The change in online spending at restaurants and bars from October 2021 to October 2022
saw much more growth throughout all areas of the District, as shown in the map below.
23
https://replicahq.com/
65
Figure 21 I Change in Online Spending at Restaurants and Bars from October 2021 to
October 2022
24
Impacts of e-commerce
With e-commerce comes deliveries to businesses, homes, and offices. These deliveries
require infrastructure such as distribution centers and curb space or loading dock access to
unload goods. This poses challenges in the District for last-mile deliveries because of the
limited and highly contested curb space. Space at the curb is sought after for many uses
included but not limited to the following:
• Pick up and drop off from TNCs (Transportation Network Companies, Uber, Lyft,
etc.)
• Micromobility (such as dockless e-scooters, e-bikes, etc.)
• Residential parking
• Metered parking
24
https://replicahq.com/
66
• Transit stops
• Trash collection
• Bicycle lanes and parking
• ADA access
• Food trucks
• Streateries
When curb space is not available at a delivery location, commercial vehicles will often
double park, block bike lanes, block bus lanes, etc. This causes safety hazards as road
users attempt to maneuver around these vehicles. Additionally, the growth in e-commerce
and delivery volumes increases traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.
Relevant Planning Considerations
The impacts of e-commerce on city infrastructure require new strategies and policies to
adequately address them.
Curb Management
Curb management is important in order to provide convenient and safe access for
commercial vehicles to load and unload goods that do not conflict with other users. One
attempt in the District to allocate curb space for such activities are “PUDO zones” (pick-up,
drop-off zones). These zones allow vehicles to briefly stop/stand at the curb in order to
pick-up or drop-off on demand delivery orders or pick-up or drop-off passengers. DDOT
also tries to design our roadways to accommodate for the many diverse users of the curb
by making it clear where road users should not stop or load and ensure there are legal
places to stop and load. Some design principles to help convey this are by protecting bike
lanes, painting bus stop and lanes red, installing flexposts, etc.
DDOT is also looking to start a delivery demand management program that aims to reduce
the impacts of loading. The concept of this program is inspired by transportation demand
management (TDM) and will include programs of information, encouragement, and
incentives to reduce the curbside impacts of loading.
Microhubs
Many of the negative impacts from current deliveries are due to the large size of current
delivery vehicles and their high emissions. Smaller and more sustainable last-mile delivery
modes can help to reduce these impacts; examples include deliveries by e-cargo bikes,
bikes, on foot, or small electric vehicles. Often, these last-mile delivery modes work best
67
when supported by staging areas called “microhubs.” DDOT has received funding to
conduct a delivery microhub feasibility study and then implement a sustainable delivery
mode pilot. These projects should provide insights into what infrastructure is needed for
sustainable delivery modes and should help to reduce the negative impacts of last-mile
deliveries in the District.
1.9. Military Freight Considerations
As per IIJA, DDOT is evaluating the District’s freight network and potential needs in
relationship to the military facilities and strategic defense networks in the District of
Columbia to better understand and integrate military freight implications.
The following military bases or installations have been identified within the borders of the
District of Columbia, with the understanding that there are additional installations within the
jurisdictions of the identified districts and bases.
Figure 22 I Military Installations within the District of Columbia
Military Branch
Base/Installation
Location
Army
Fort Lesley J. McNair
317 P Street SW, Washington,
DC 20024
Coast Guard
US Coast Guard
Headquarters
1790 Ash Street SE,
Washington, DC 20032
Navy / Air Force
Joint Base Anacostia-
Bolling
20 MacDill Boulevard SE,
Washington, DC 20032
Navy
Naval District
1411 Parsons Avenue,
Washington DC 20003
Navy
Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Ave SW,
Washington, DC 20375
1.9.1. Strategic Defense Networks
The military’s strategic defense network includes the Strategic Highway Network
(STRAHNET) and the Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET). The STRAHNET and
STRACNET networks within the District of Columbia are a part of the District’s multi-modal
freight network.
68
Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET)
The STRAHNET is a system of public highways that are a part of the deployment of the
United States armed forces. It provides defense access, continuity, and emergency
capabilities for movements of personnel and equipment in both peace time and war. The
STRAHNET is a subset of the National Highway System and includes STRAHNET
Connectors that link military installations and ports to the STRAHNET, as illustrated by the
U.S. Army Transportation Engineering Agency, below.
25
Figure 23 I STRAHNET within the District of Columbia
25
https://www.sddc.army.mil/sites/tea/functions/specialassistant/strahnet/forms/allitems.aspx#InplviewHashc80b7ba4
-4558-4209-812e-aa6daf72bd27=Paged%3DTRUE-p_SortBehavior%3D0-p_FileLeafRef%3DMontana%252epdf-
p_ID%3D28-PageFirstRow%3D31
69
Figure 24 I STRAHNET and STRAHNET Connectors within the District of Columbia
Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET)
The Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET), as defined by the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), provides access to
essential military bases and support installations and is used for the deployment of military
equipment during emergencies or natural disasters. A number of the rail lines within the
District are on the STRACNET. One practical implication of being on the STRACNET is
that lines must be able to accommodate railcars of the DoD clearance profile, which
includes a 12-foot overall width and 16.92-foot overall height above rails. The exhibit below
shows the STRACNET network, as per the District’s State Rail Plan (3-42).
26
26
https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/page_content/attachments/DC%20SRP%20FinalReport.pdf
70
Figure 25 I STRACNET within the District of Columbia
1.9.2. Projects Overlapping the Strategic Defense Networks
DDOT’s approved FY 2023 – FY 2028 budget includes 26 projects that overlap portions of
the strategic defense networks, which range from safety, trail, and transit improvements to
rehabilitation and maintenance projects, as described in the below table. In addition, the
District of Columbia is wrapping up its reconstruction of several interchanges along I-295
south of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge to streamline the flow of traffic.
Understanding the relationship of the strategic military networks, military facilities, and the
71
District of Columbia’s multimodal freight network improves our ability to identify and
address considerations of military freight.
Figure 26 I Projects within DDOT’s FY 2023-2028 Budget Overlapping the Strategic
Defense Networks
Number
Project Description
1
295 Dynamic Messaging System Replacement
2
I-695 Bridges, I-395 to I-295/DC-295
3
Rehabilitation of I-395 HOV Bridge over Potomac River
4
I-395 SB Entrance Ramp Bridge over SB Mall Tunnel Exit Ramp to WB S.W.
Freeway
5
I-695 Eastbound D4 Ramp
6
Safety & Geometric Improvements of I-295 / DC-295
7
Southwest Freeway Bridge over South Capitol Street
8
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge
9
M Street SE/SW Safety and Mobility Improvements
10
Citywide Sign Structure Upgrade and Replacement
11
Guardrails and Attenuators Repair and Replacement
12
Highway Structures Preventive Maintenance and Repair
13
I-66 Ramp to Whitehurst Frwy and K Street NW Bridge over Whitehurst
Freeway Ramp
14
Weigh in Motion Operations Support
15
Weigh In Motion Upgrade and Repair
16
Long Bridge Pedestrian and Bicycle Connection
17
New York Avenue Streetscape and Trail Florida Ave to Bladensburg Rd NE
18
MBT Blair Road to Piney Branch Rd NW
19
MBT First Place to Oglethorpe Street NE
20
Anacostia River Trail Neighborhood Access: Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave to
Deane Ave
21
Pavement Restoration - NHPP Streets
22
295 Weigh Station Upgrade
23
I-295 Weigh Station Construction Southbound
24
I-295 Weigh Station Upgrade - Northbound
25
I-295 Northbound Weigh Station Construction
72
26
New York Ave over Anacostia Rehabilitation
1.9.3. Considerations of Military Freight Movements
In addition to considerations regarding specific projects overlapping strategic defense
networks, there are also general considerations regarding military freight movements to
take into consideration within planning efforts. Based on regional freight and travel
patterns, most military freight trips would typically stay on the Beltway and bypass
Washington D.C. roadways unless their destination was within the District. For those trips
headed into the District, trip coordinators typically leverage existing systems to manage the
impacts and needs of heavy or large loads relating to military freight movements. For
instance, contractors delivering equipment for a military convention held in the District
apply for permits via DDOT’s oversize-overweight permit application process and follow
existing guidance regarding any needed vehicle escorts. For special events, such as
presidential inaugurations and Fourth of July celebrations, preparations are communicated
through the Joint All Hazards Operations Center (JAHOC) housed within the DC Homeland
Security and Emergency Management Agency, which connects all relevant organizations,
including the Metropolitan Police Department and DDOT’s Special Operations branch and
traffic management center, in order to manage any operational issues arising from
transporting military vehicles and cargo. These coordination procedures are in keeping with
FHWA’s guidance on Coordinating Military Deployments on Roads and Highways.
6. FREIGHT SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
73
6.0 Freight System Performance
1.10. Multistate Freight Compacts
As per the IIJA, state freight plans must now include, if applicable, consideration of the
findings or recommendations made by any multi-state freight compact to which the state is
a party under 49 U.S.C. §70204. These compacts are based on shared regional interests
to improve goods movement across jurisdictional boundaries. Potential outcomes of such
coordination may include negotiating as a group for improved access to data sources,
identifying projects along a corridor that benefit multiple states, or assembling rights-of way
for improvements. Multi-state freight compacts can provide advisory committees to support
decision-making and prioritization efforts, serve as a broader freight discussion forum, and
promote the sharing of information between private/public sectors. Coalitions that forge
multi-state freight connections and contribute to planning and operations management, to
which the District of Columbia is a party, include:
The Eastern Transportation Coalition (TETC) (https://tetcoalition.org/) – TETC is a
partnership of 19 states and the District of Columbia focused on connecting public
agencies across modes of travel to increase safety and efficiency. Formerly the I-95
Corridor Coalition, TETC has evolved to include more than 200 public agencies
working together to address the pressing challenges facing the eastern corridor with
a focus on TSMO, freight, and innovation. Freight-specific resources include
emphases on freight data, commercial vehicle operations, truck parking, member
states’ federally compliant freight planning activities, the M-95 Marine Highway
corridor, and involvement with the National Freight Fluidity Program. Freight-related
findings and recommendations stemming from the TETC include oversize
overweight permit harmonization, which DDOT is building into its work plan for
future permitting updates; freight data education and validation, in which DDOT
participates for future planning and budget considerations; and truck parking
workshops, which DDOT attends and uses to inform its multi-state coordination
efforts to address truck parking needs.
M-495 Potomac River Commuter Fast Ferry Project
(https://novaregion.org/1369/Regional-Policy-Steering-Committee) – The Northern
Virginia Regional Committee’s Regional Policy Steering Committee for the M-495
74
Potomac River Commuter Fast Ferry Project is comprised of members from federal,
state, and local government, including DC Council, as well as non-profits and private
industry. The project has raised funds for studies, received government grants, hired
and provided consultant oversight, and launched a website and Facebook page.
The group also sponsored a series of three Fast Ferry Summits in DC, Maryland,
and Virginia in 2017-2018, introducing more than 500 attendees to this service. In its
June 2022 stakeholder meeting, however, the Steering Committee acknowledged
that it has not been able to produce a freight/commodity case for this investment,
which is required for a marine highway program designation. As such, the Steering
Committee will let its M495 designation sunset until a freight/commodity case for the
investment is developed. Irrespective of a freight case for the Fast Ferry Project, a
designated DDOT representative participates in project meetings and remains an
engaged stakeholder within the planning process.
1.11. Multistate Metropolitan Planning Organization Coordination
DDOT also coordinates with the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board
(TPB), the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the greater Washington, DC
region. DDOT works in close collaboration with the TPB on a multitude of fronts, including
goal setting, performance management, investment coordination, and data sharing. DDOT
chairs regularly scheduled TPB Freight Subcommittee meetings, to bring together planners
and transportation officials from other states and local jurisdictions to share knowledge and
to collaborate on regionally significant freight transportation issues. DDOT has also taken
advantage of funding opportunities based on shared climate goals, such as a recent
transportation-land use coordination technical assistance grant that the freight program
received to conduct a delivery microhub feasibility study in support of sustainable last-mile
delivery modes.
1.12. Freight Resilience, Environmental, and Equity Considerations
Mobility and sustainability are key goals in the District’s multimodal long-range
transportation plan, MoveDC. The mobility goal aims to increase system reliability and
manage congestion. The sustainability goal aims to reduce emissions and strengthen
resilience in the face of climate change, especially in historically underserved
75
neighborhoods that may experience greater impacts. The freight program works towards
these goals in coordination with other divisions within DDOT as well as other District
agencies.
Climate Change Impacts and Mitigation
DDOT is committed to the resilience of the freight network in the face of climate change.
The Potomac and Anacostia rivers will likely contribute to flooding and other climate-
change-induced scenarios.
Figure 27 I Projected Future Sea Levels at National Mall/United States Capitol in
Washington D.C
27
In order to prepare for potential impacts of climate change, the District is utilizing green
infrastructure and stormwater management techniques. The green infrastructure practices
used on our streets include:
• Bioretention (aka rain gardens)
• Street trees
• Landscape areas
• Permeable pavement
• Green alleys
27
https://picturing.climatecentral.org/#search
76
In the District’s Sustainable 2.0 plan, one goal is to implement green infrastructure
practices to capture, retain, or reuse stormwater from at least 10% of the District’s land
area by 2032. In support of this goal, DDOT seeks opportunities to include green
infrastructure whenever planning and implementing freight infrastructure, such as roadway
reconstructions.
Extreme weather and natural disasters also impact freight mobility. One related strategy in
moveDC is to improve the resiliency of transportation infrastructure in order to incorporate
climate adaptation. One way the District is tackling this is through the DC Power Line
Undergrounding (DC PLUG) initiative. This initiative is a partnership between the District
and its local electrical utility, PEPCO, to move overhead wires underground and improve
the resiliency of the energy grid. This will help to reduce power outages caused by severe
storms. Power outages impact transportation infrastructure such as traffic signals, so this
program will help to keep freight moving safely and efficiently even in the face of severe
weather.
Freight Network Redundancy
To be prepared for any interruptions within our transportation network, DDOT is committed
to projects that create redundancy in our network. DDOT coordinates with the Homeland
Security and Emergency Management Agency (DC HSEMA) to help implement and
prioritize freight network needs for continued resiliency in food and water supply chains.
28
This ensures that even during extreme weather and natural disasters, vital freight can keep
moving. The following are some recent and current projects that will help to create
redundancy in our network:
• Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and I-295 interchange reconstruction
• Long Bridge Project to create additional long-term railroad capacity across the
Potomac River for freight, intercity passenger rail, and commuter rail
• Rehabilitation of New York Avenue NE over the Anacostia River
Sustainable Freight
28
https://www.mwcog.org/file.aspx?&A=euocBqQm4rvT8I3aXQnS82aZRgzOnyq7mkPGzG4kI0M%3D
77
DDOT recognizes that the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to
emissions causing climate change. To address climate change and local air pollution, the
District has a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. Our latest data from 2016 showed that the
District’s citywide emissions totaled 7.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent
(MMtCO2e). The freight planning program is working to encourage and support
sustainable freight in order to help achieve this goal in a variety of ways:
The freight program is leading a delivery microhub feasibility study that will lead into a
sustainable delivery modes pilot program. This is being conducted to promote safety,
efficiency, and the environmental benefits associated with low/zero emission last-mile
deliveries. The pilot program will prioritize equity and focus on historically marginalized
communities. A goal of this program is to improve local air quality in these communities.
Electric vehicle infrastructure plans have not been relevant to freight in the past, but as bat
the technology improves, more heavy vehicles such as trucks will be able to transition to
electric motors. Related to this, the District recently had its NEVI (National Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure) EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan approved by the USDOT. This will
provide $16,679,459 in funding to the District over the next five years to install EV
chargers, with Interstates being the highest priority location. This commitment will not only
provide important charging infrastructure for vehicles whose destination is the District, but
also to those traveling through the District to other destinations to support the national
network. The map below shows EV charging infrastructure in the District as of September
31, 2021 and the designated EV Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs).
29
29
https://nevi.ddot.dc.gov/documents/DCGIS::district-nevi-plan-2022/explore
78
Figure 28 I EV Charging Infrastructure
DDOT is also developing a delivery demand management program that aims to reduce the
impacts of loading and related congestion (and freight-related emissions). The concept of
this program is inspired by transportation demand management (TDM) and will include
programs of information, encouragement, and incentives targeted to businesses to reduce
the impacts of loading. This program will educate businesses on their curbside constraints
and opportunities, provide information on their off-street and off-peak loading options, and
create incentives for reducing curbside loading impacts.
Freight Equity
As stated in the previous section, many sustainable freight projects will prioritize equity in
the formation of these projects. The NEVI plan discusses equity and is committed to
charger location equity. Also considered in equity are traffic safety improvements: large
commercial vehicles pose greater threats to vulnerable road users. Within the District, the
79
burden of traffic injuries and fatalities has fallen disproportionately within Wards 7 and 8.
DDOT is committed to Vision Zero – zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2024 - and
freight projects will accordingly prioritize safety and equity.
30
Freight and Wildlife Habitat
While the District’s wildlife habitat is limited, DDOT works to ensure that this habitat is
protected. The District is home to 240 species of birds, 78 fish, 32 mammals, and 19
species of amphibians among other wildlife. While 78% of the District is developed land, it
contains 289 acres of wetlands. From the Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan, the District has goals
to protect, restore, and create more acres of critical aquatic habitat and critical land habitat;
currently the District contains 36.25 acres of critical aquatic habitat and 350 acres of critical
land habitat. Much of the wildlife habitat in the District is within National Park Service (NPS)
owned land. By policy, trucks are not allowed on NPS land which limits freight impacts on
wildlife habitat in these areas, and DDOT coordinates with NPS when relevant. Truck
access to wildlife habitat will continue to be restricted. Additionally, DDOT follows a robust
environmental review process for all projects that includes consideration of wildlife habitat.
1.13. Freight Bottleneck Inventory and Mitigations
1.13.1. Freight Bottleneck Inventory
The District Department of Transportation is identifying freight bottlenecks through an
analysis of Total Delay of all roadways within the District using the CATT Lab’s Vehicle
Probe Data Analytics Suite. The CATT Lab’s PDA Suite ranking by Total Delay comprises
of the average annual raw speed drop weighted by vehicle miles traveled and the length of
the resulting traffic queue along District roadways. The INRIX data used by the CATT Lab’s
PDA Suite is most robust along interstates and major arterials, and while this data set does
not distinguish between passenger and truck vehicles, the District’s dense urban
environment forces trucks and passenger cars into similar travel patterns. As a result, the
top 20 roadways in the District with the highest total delay in 2019, as detailed below, align
with the priority freight corridors the agency has identified for construction improvements,
including I-395 and the I-295/Malcolm X interchange.
30
https://visionzero.dc.gov/
80
Figure 29 I The Top 20 Roadways in the District with the Highest Total Delay in 2019
Rank
Head Location
Average
daily
duration
Total duration
All
events
Congestion
TOTAL
DELAY
1
I-395 N @ 7TH ST
SW
3 h 2 m
46 d 7 h 31 m
4,118
297,802
693,108,905
2
I-395 (HOV) N @
OHIO DR
5 h 27 m
83 d 26 m
441
262,654
546,491,507
3
I-395 N @ US-1
1 h 47 m
27 d 8 h 51 m
4,062
168,247
381,701,440
4
DC-295 S @
CAPITOL ST
6 h 34 m
100 d 2 h 16 m
44
266,847
304,008,506
5
US-50 W @ I-395
8 h 1 m
122 d 18 m
238
195,014
285,086,749
6
I-295 N @ I-395
2 h 59 m
45 d 12 h 38 m
202
216,250
248,539,133
7
DC-295 N @
EASTERN AVE
1 h 18 m
20 d 7 m
109
175,651
199,776,676
8
US-1-ALT E @
BLADENSBURG RD
3 h
45 d 16 h 18 m
22
131,166
191,522,972
9
I-295 S @ DC--MD
STATE BORDER
1 h 2 m
15 d 21 h 57 m
158
163,772
154,914,133
10
DC-295 S @
PENNSYLVANIA
AVE
1 h 23 m
21 d 5 h 52 m
68
113,380
111,138,729
11
I-395 N @
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
35 m
8 d 20 h 57 m
4,061
52,048
110,577,529
12
I-395 S @
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
57 m
14 d 16 h 34 m
128
57,311
104,544,985
13
SOUTH DAKOTA
AVE NE S @ US-
50/NEW YORK AVE
2 h 37 m
39 d 20 h 53 m
3
127,044
102,210,237
14
I-295 N @ CAPITOL
ST
1 h 15 m
19 d 53 m
56
103,482
101,338,609
15
US-50 W @
BLADENSBURG RD
3 h 38 m
55 d 10 h 49 m
255
92,272
99,327,901
16
US-50 E @ I-66/US-
50/THEODORE
ROOSEVELT
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
3 h 13 m
48 d 23 h 27 m
96
107,199
97,101,580
17
I-395 N @ US-
50/NEW YORK AVE
NW
9 h 19 m
141 d 22 h 21
m
4,191
115,230
93,900,645
18
I-295 S @
DC/MARYLAND
STATE LINE
33 m
8 d 12 h 31 m
159
89,460
84,383,137
19
I-395 S @ 11TH
ST/EXIT 11
37 m
9 d 9 h 58 m
128
44,777
84,007,680
20
I-66 E @ US-
50/POTOMAC
RIVER FWY/E
STREET EXPY
1 h 23 m
21 d 4 h 24 m
1,129
83,105
83,706,188
81
1.14. Freight Bottleneck Mitigations
• The District had made good progress on the major construction projects already
underway to improve system performance: The South Capitol Street Bridge
replacement has been completed in 2022, as has the Arlington Memorial Bridge
reconstruction managed through the National Park Service, and the Capitol
Crossing development has been completed. DDOT is also beginning additional
major construction projects to improve system capacity and associated truck travel
time reliability in the long-term. These include:
• Theodore Roosevelt Bridge rehabilitation
• Construction to improve the interchange at I-295 and Benning Road, and
• Construction of HOV lanes on I-395 over the Potomac River
• H Street Bridge reconstruction
While these projects will improve system capacity and freight performance in the long term,
DDOT anticipates that they will continue to have negative short-term impacts on truck
travel time reliability during their construction.
DDOT developed an FHWA-approved 2022 Freight Investment Plan that includes funding
for construction projects that will provide long-term freight system performance
improvements, such a study of safety and geometric improvements for I-295 and DC-295
and annual maintenance for DDOT’s oversize / overweight (OSOW) truck route-planner
tool. Some of the following freight system improvement projects also come with short-term
negative impacts on system capacity:
• Rehabilitation of Minnesota Ave Bridge over East Capitol St.
• Geometric & Safety Improvements along I-295 Study
• Paving restoration projects on National Highway Performance Program streets
• Repair and upgrades to DDOT’s existing weigh station and Weigh in Motion
systems
DDOT is also managing bus lane pilot projects along several major arterials in the District,
including 14
th
St NW, M St SE/SW, Martin Luther King Boulevard SE, H St NW, Eye St
NW, and 16th Street NW. DDOT is coordinating with freight stakeholders and receivers to
ensure commercial access to and through these corridors. DDOT will be adjusting these
pilot projects as their impacts on bus and freight reliability are studied.
82
In addition to truck-based goods movement, recent rail infrastructure projects have – and
will – relieve regional freight rail bottlenecks in the region, such as the recent Virginia
Avenue Tunnel improvements that removed a critical rail bottleneck. The Long Bridge
project, which will increase rail capacity over the Potomac River, promises to reduce freight
and commuter rail congestion into the city and within the region upon its completion in
2030.
1.15. Freight-Related Congestion and Mitigations
As discussed in the e-commerce section, commercial vehicles compete with many other
uses for space at the curb to complete their deliveries. When curb space is not available at
a delivery location, commercial vehicles will often double park and block a travel lane or
bike lane, or block bus lane or bus stops, in order to make the delivery. This causes safety
hazards and congestion as road users attempt to maneuver around these vehicles, or as
buses block general travel lanes when their dedicated facilities are filled by unauthorized
vehicles. In order to reduce curbside loading impacts on transit service and general traffic,
DDOT is investing in the following strategies:
Delivery Demand Management Program: DDOT is developing a delivery demand
management program that aims to reduce the impacts of loading. The concept of this
program is inspired by transportation demand management (TDM) and will include
programs of information, encouragement, and incentives targeted to businesses to reduce
the impacts of loading. This program will educate businesses on their curbside constraints
and opportunities, provide information on their off-street or off-peak loading options, and
create incentives for reducing curbside loading impacts.
Commercial Vehicle Loading Zone Program: DDOT has provided designated staff to
support the ongoing management of the more than 600 curbside commercial vehicle
loading zones across the District that are dedicated for the exclusive use of commercial
vehicles. Dedicated management of the curbside commercial vehicle loading zone
program aims to provide commercial vehicles with reliable curbside space available for
commercial vehicle access and loading needs. Staff assess loading zone requests, create
orders to fabricate and install signs, coordinate with agency partners to provide consistent
enforcement, and evaluate existing conditions to inform new policies for loading zone
operations.
83
Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting Program: DDOT is responsible for maintaining
safe, efficient roadways and ensuring a state of good repair along rights of way for all
forms of mobility. This includes permitting oversized and overweight (OSOW) vehicles –
vehicles that exceed the by-right size and weight dimensions outlined in federal law Title
23, U.S.C Section 12. DDOT issues single haul permits for OSOW vehicles and generates
mandatory routes for them to travel along to ensure that the vehicles’ dimensions and load
size can safely navigate local roads, tunnels, and bridges. DDOT is researching potential
policies to direct especially large OSOW vehicles to travel solely during off-peak or
overnight periods to reduce traffic impacts during rush hours.
Freight Corridor Signal Optimization: Because trucks have longer acceleration and
deceleration times, many corridors experience increased travel times, idling, and blocked
intersections. These travel conditions create inefficiencies not only to trucks but passenger
vehicles as well. Optimizing signal timing is a strategy used by many jurisdictions
throughout the country. DDOT has completed signal timing optimization projects along high
priority freight corridors, while balancing the safety needs of pedestrians and cyclists within
the District’s urban context.
1.16. Consideration of Heavy Vehicle Impacts & Mitigations
While the District of Columbia does not host mining, logging, or agricultural industries, the
District is host to many construction projects and special events that attract heavy vehicle
traffic. These vehicles can include dump trucks and mobile cranes for construction activity,
as well as large-scale military and agricultural equipment for conventions and special
events.
Any operators of vehicles over the gross vehicle weight of 80,000 lbs, or exceeding axle
weight configuration thresholds as determined by the FHWA’s bridge formula analysis are
required to apply for oversize/overweight single haul permits with mandatory routes to
ensure they travel along the most appropriate routes and cause the least amount of
damage to District roadways.
With the projected growth of freight shipments in terms of both value and weight, the need
to ensure compliance with the District’s vehicle size and weight regulations will be all the
more crucial to ensure roadways and related infrastructure remain in a state of good repair.
84
To that end, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Unit
conducts truck and weight enforcement activities through a fixed weigh station on
southbound I-295 near Blue Plains and the deployment of portable scales at locations
throughout the District based on construction activities or other special events. While the
District currently does not have a facility for a truck to off-load items if is overweight, DDOT
has an active contract to develop designs for improvements to the existing southbound I-
295 weigh station and has budgeted for their construction in future fiscal years. DDOT also
recognizes the potential benefit of designing and constructing a corresponding weigh
station for northbound I-295.
To mitigate the damaging impacts of heavy vehicles on District roadways, DDOT also
develops and implements a Transportation Asset Management Plan to ensure assets are
identified, prioritized based on conditions assessments, and maintained within a state of
good repair.
31
When infrastructure is assessed to be in an insufficient state to support
heavy vehicle traffic, such as the H Street NE bridge by Union Station, the DDOT freight
program coordinates internally to install appropriate signage and communicate that
information to freight stakeholders until such time as repairs are completed.
1.17. Innovative Technology and Intelligent Transportation Systems
Considerations
The District has Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems on I-295 and New York Ave NE providing
vehicle volume, weight data, and truck travel trends to the District. DDOT is investing in
maintenance and upgrades to these ITS systems along SB I-295 in order to use them to
identify and direct noncompliant vehicles into the existing SB I-295 roadside weigh station
for in-person, manual weight inspections by enforcement officers, as per the current
industry standard. (There is little precedent for using WIM systems for direct enforcement
in the United States, as the high travel speeds and pavement conditions around the
roadway-embedded scales have the potential to affect the accuracy of weight readings
beyond enforcement-accepted tolerances.)
DDOT recognizes the importance of funding to upgrade these WIM systems so that they
can be integrated within other systems to ensure commercial vehicles follow FMSCA
regulations, and screen vehicles for weigh station enforcement. DDOT also recognizes the
31
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/transportation-asset-management-plan-tamp-0-a
85
importance of providing funding for new portable weigh-in-motion technology to be
deployed across the District on an as needed basis, and has conducted market scans to
identify options most suitable to the District context, in order to support enforcement
activities for vehicle size and weight outside of the existing weigh station and WIM system
footprints.
DDOT is also investing in automated camera enforcement technology to enforce through-
truck restrictions through its automated traffic enforcement (ATE) program, which is in the
process of selecting new vendors for implementation in the coming year. This ATE
technology is designed to be portable and rotate through the District at locations identified
by data analysis and community needs.
Lastly, DDOT is also researching and piloting the use of automated enforcement
technologies for curbside regulations, such as commercial loading zones and pick-up/
drop-off zones, to support our enforcement officers in delivering effective curbside
management.
1.18. Freight Needs & Issues
Key issues confronting the freight system, both in the present and in the future, span a
range of physical, economic, and climate conditions, as bulleted below and detailed in
this and other specified sections of this document:.
• Competition for Space
• Truck Routes & Enforcement
• Congestion & Parking Constraints
• Constrained and/or aging infrastructure
o Bridge Network
o Vertical Clearances
o Pavement Condition
o Geometric Design
• Growing market share of e-commerce and associated deliveries (Competition for
Space & e-Commerce section)
• Climate Change (Resilience, Environmental & Equity section)
• Heavy Vehicle Impacts, Mitigations & Enforcement (Heavy vehicles section)
• Intelligent Transportation Systems Technology (ITS section)
1.18.1. Competition for Space
Increasingly, freight-carrying commercial vehicles compete for limited roadway space
with passenger vehicles, buses, bicycles and pedestrians. This increased competition
86
raises both short- and long-term concerns over transportation safety and efficiency. The
District is investing heavily in expanding passenger transportation choices and
establishing supporting policies, in order to grow its economy. With careful planning,
engineering, and coordination with the freight community, the potential negative
consequences of a passenger transportation-focused policy can be avoided.
Understanding the way shippers use the transportation system and its corridors at the
level of individual deliveries is an important first step towards creating a shared system
that can accommodate the many freight transactions that must be completed, and that
are necessary for the District’s economy to function.
1.18.2. Truck Routes, Restrictions & Enforcement
The District of Columbia currently utilizes an advisory designated truck and bus route
network, which encourages but does not require heavy vehicles to travel along
designated routes. The District also designates bus restrictions and through-truck
restrictions along residential streets, which are enforced by the Metropolitan Police
Department when there is associated signage in place. Few streets in the District of
Columbia are completely restricted to trucks. Except for a few locations near sensitive
federal structures, a truck restriction means that the street is closed to through truck
traffic, but open to trucks making local deliveries. While DDOT has designated primary
truck routes and through-truck restricted roadways, residents report inconsistent
compliance throughout the District.
DDOT is looking into expanding automated traffic enforcement and industry outreach as
well as researching the feasibility of implementing a mandatory truck route framework as
part of its current Positive Truck Route Signage Study.
1.18.3. Congestion & Parking Constraints
The Washington, DC region has one of the highest levels of traffic congestion in the
nation. While trucks are not the main cause of congestion, they are a contributor.
Their operating characteristics (slower to accelerate and to stop) make them less
nimble in traffic. When truck operators park illegally, circulate excessively in search
of parking, cause an incident, or circulate on streets where they are not permitted,
they add inefficiencies (and danger) to an already-overwhelmed system.
The 2022 INRIX Traffic Scorecard
32
ranked the Washington, DC Region as the 20
th
worst in congestion among major metropolitan areas – behind Los Angeles, San
Francisco, New York and Boston. And congestion is expected to get worse:
According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ 2022
32
https://inrix.com/scorecard/#city-ranking-list
87
Congestion Management Process Technical Report, the Metropolitan Washington
region is expected to be home to 23% more residents and 29% more jobs by 2045,
creating a demand on roadways that is expected to outpace the increase in supply,
and leading to significant increase in congestion
33
.
A 2012 Texas Transportation Institute study
34
estimated that truck congestion in the
Washington, DC Region costs $730 million annually, based on a commodity value
of $86.9 billion or about 8.4 percent of total value. This degree of congestion causes
many truckers who can avoid peak hour traffic in the region to do so, while those
who cannot incur increased costs of operation and increased delivery delays. These
costs are passed on to the District business community (and ultimately the District
residents) through increased freight charges and increased stock requirements as a
buffer against delivery failures.
As shown in the following sections, congestion in the District is concentrated in the
busiest commercial areas.
• Congestion and Parking Constraints
– Ward 1: Ward 1 experiences some of the heaviest truck traffic within the
commercial/retail corridor of U Street NW, 14
th
Street NW, Columbia
Road, and 18
th
Street NW.
– Ward 2: Heavy traffic congestion on I, K, L, and M Streets, as well as
Connecticut Avenue, is the prominent concern for commuters and
business people alike. While the congestion is not exclusively due to
trucks, the double-parking and loading/unloading of truck deliveries along
those corridors exacerbate already congested traffic conditions.
– Ward 3: Wisconsin Avenue, Connecticut Avenue and Massachusetts
Avenue are the major corridors carrying the bulk of truck traffic within the
ward. Inadequate loading zone space and management along the arterials
exacerbates severe traffic congestion, which induces trucks to spill over
onto neighboring streets.
– Ward 4: 16
th
Street NW, Georgia Avenue, and Military Road/Missouri
Avenue experience high truck volumes.
– Ward 5: More than 40 percent of trucks entering the District do so via its
northeastern border with Maryland. The Maryland suburbs east of the
District and the eastern part of the District are home to many warehouses
and transfer points, particularly along New York Avenue and in the
Landover and Lanham, Maryland areas. The industrial facilities range from
33
MWCOG 2022 Congestion Management Process Technical Report:
https://www.mwcog.org/file.aspx?D=ioxzbWHMefHpfjALW7Km9f93c7oxosp01AvVc%2fwclvo%3d&A=tE1fNwsPMzwIS
k6ug%2b6UeMZgnRrrgdda6gMUaGSBVH4%3d
34
2012 Transportation Urban Mobility Report, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M Transportation Institute,
Shrank, Lomax and Eisele, December, 2012
88
major food and beer distributors to garbage transfer stations to a major
parcel delivery distribution center. Many of the area’s roadways (New York
Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, Bladensburg Road, South Dakota Avenue,
Florida Avenue) are major delivery routes that experience heavy truck
traffic.
– Ward 6: Buffering the industrial activities of Ward 5 and the corporate
activities of Ward 2, Ward 6 consists of both residential and commercial
uses, in addition to housing Union Station and part of the U.S. Capitol
complex. Within the ward, many of the retail and restaurant destinations
for truck deliveries are located along H Street NE and 8th Street NE.
– Ward 7: Ward 7 is situated in the eastern-most section of the District,
and is primarily a residential area with industrial and commercial activity
restricted to streets such as Pennsylvania Avenue, Branch Avenue,
Benning Road, Minnesota Avenue and East Capitol Street.
– Ward 8: Covering the southernmost end of the District, Ward 8 consists
primarily of residences with a few institutional and commercial areas. Due
to its location near the Maryland line and I-295, and due to the relative lack
of commercial activity within the ward itself, most of the truck traffic in
Ward 8 is through-traffic. Major roadways with truck traffic are South
Capitol Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, and Alabama Avenue.
1.18.4. Bridge Network on Truck Routes
It is critical that the highway infrastructure is maintained in a state of good repair to
support goods movement by truck and to maximize the freight’s contribution to the
District’s economy. The District has 265 bridges, of which DDOT owns 232 and
National Park Service owns 33. Bridges owned by private railways are not included
in this analysis
35
. Trucks weighing over the allowable legal limit (80,000 lbs.) affect
these bridges in several ways. Concrete decks and other bridge elements wear out
with repetitive loadings by heavy vehicles. Weight restrictions on bridges along truck
routes are not immediately available to the freight industry, unless the bridges are
posted, which currently only applies to about five bridges within the District. (The
bridge must be signed for restricted use when the design criteria for a bridge is
exceeded.)
Deficient bridges conditions have a major impact on the routing and movement of
over dimensional and over-weight loads. A previous 2011 DDOT Truck Safety
Enforcement Study analyzed the cost impacts resulting from commercial vehicle
traffic on bridges along the truck routes and found that the total bridge impacts
(costs) associated with overweight trucks on the truck routes in the District is
35
DDOT TAMP Report October 2022:
1https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/TAMP_Master_SlideDeck_v3.pdf
89
estimated to be $7 million per year.
1.18.5. Vertical Clearance Restrictions
Low clearance structures create problems for drivers of high vehicles such as
trucks, forcing them to use circuitous routings to get around the barrier. And for
unfamiliar drivers, these structures are a hazard; hitting them can severely
damage a load, and weaken the structure itself.
There are many low-vertical clearance structures in the District, including
elevated rail lines, tunnels, bridges, highway ramps, and other obstructions.
Varying height restrictions along high volume routes can potentially create a
hazardous conditions and it is important that the same height restriction is
maintained along a truck route.
• Tunnels, bridges, and other infrastructure create constraints for larger
vehicles along primary routes.
• Differing height restrictions along the same routes (for instance, the
height restriction on I-395 varies between 13’ to 15’).
• Inadequate advance signage for restrictions less than 14’.
• Vertical clearance information is not available for all overhead structures.
1.18.6. Pavement Condition
Engineers design roads to accommodate projected vehicle loads but, in
particular, they design for vehicle axle loads. The life of a pavement is related to
the magnitude and frequency of these heavy axle loads. Pavement engineers
use the concept of an equivalent single-axle load (ESAL) to measure the effects
of heavy vehicles on pavements. Any truck axle configuration and weight can be
converted to this common unit of measure. Adding axles to a truck can greatly
reduce the impact on pavement. A conventional five-axle tractor-semitrailer
operating at 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) is equivalent to about
2.4 ESALs. If the weight of this vehicle were increased to 90,000 pounds (a 12.5
percent increase), its ESAL value goes up to 4.1 (a 70.8 percent increase),
because pavement damage increases at a geometric rate with weight increases.
However, a six-axle tractor-semitrailer at 90,000 pounds has an ESAL value of
only 2.0, because its weight is distributed over six axles instead of five. An added
pavement benefit of the 90,000-pound six-axle truck is that fewer trips are
90
required to carry the same amount of payload, resulting in almost 30 percent
fewer ESAL miles per payload ton-mile.
The effect of ESALs on pavements is not constant throughout the year. During
the winter, when the ground is frozen, a truck carrying a given load causes much
less damage to pavements than at other times of the year. During the spring, the
inverse is true: pavement layers are generally in a saturated, weakened state due
to partial thaw conditions and trapped water, causing greater pavement damage
by the same truck.
The 2011 DDOT Truck Safety Enforcement Plan calculated the damage on the
District’s highways due to overweight trucks. Based on the distribution of
pavement types in the District, the analysis computed an aggregate per-mile cost
of truck impacts for District highways of $0.68 per mile on Interstates, $0.60 per
mile on other arterials, and $1.16 for collector/local routes. The ESAL analysis
identifies two-axle single-unit trucks (Class SU2) as the greatest contributor to
overweight damage. Excluding buses, overweight commercial vehicles traveling
in the District of Columbia are estimated to contribute approximately $10 million
to pavement wear on the proposed truck route network.
Excluding bridge and pavement costs associated with buses, overweight
commercial vehicles are estimated to cost the District more than $16 million
per year in premature infrastructure damage (pavement and bridge).
1.18.7. Geometric Design
Design deficiencies can have significant cost implications for operators. Tight
maneuvering can lead to increased travel times, increased safety hazards, and
property damage. In some instances, where design deficiencies prohibit the use
of the operators’ traditional fleet, investment in new equipment is required. These
costs directly affect the price of transporting freight, thereby impacting regional
economic competitiveness.
While street segments may be rebuilt adjacent to the construction of
redevelopment projects to meet today's design standards for large trucks, similar
improvements cannot be made to all of the streets comprising the designated
Truck Route Network. Some of the most difficult intersections for trucks to
maneuver are listed below. It should be noted that these locations were identified
based on stakeholder interviews and previous studies. Therefore, the list is not
complete and there might be others that are not included here.
• Georgia Avenue and Missouri Avenue NW
• Edwin Street and Montana Avenue NE
• Mid-town area, K St, NW, L St, NW, I St, NW, Wisconsin Avenue, and
Connecticut Avenue
91
• Most intersections in Georgetown and Adams Morgan
• Insufficient lane widths on traffic circles (Dupont Cir, Thomas Cir, Washington
Cir, etc.)
The District’s roadway system faces numerous challenges in meeting the ever
growing demand of both passenger and freight highway users. Meeting these
demands and managing the shared use of the system is critical to the future economic
competitiveness and quality of life in the District.
7.0 Freight Advisory Committee Input
The District works with a group of stakeholders that make up the Freight Advisory
Committee and incorporate the roles and expertise described in Section 11125 of the IIJA.
These stakeholders include:
• Representatives of our metropolitan planning organization, environmental protection
department (as applicable), air resources board (as applicable), economic
development agencies, relevant agencies and jurisdictions,
• Businesses representing a range of products and services (retail, construction,
parcel delivery, grocery, restaurant/bar, niche markets),
• Motor carriers that frequently travel in the District or engage with DDOT,
• Developers that actively participate in District freight dialogs, and
• Business owners and organizations impacted by a District freight plan.
DDOT engages with these stakeholders on an as needed basis to discuss transportation
decisions affecting freight mobility, communicate and coordinate regional priorities, share
information, and participate in the development of District freight projects and plans.
DDOT shared this update content with the freight advisory committee, held a virtual open
house to provide context, and requested comments for the agency to incorporate before its
7.0 FREIGHT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
INPUT
92
submission to FHWA, explaining that a larger, consultant-led update effort was underway.
DDOT has received and incorporated comments from more than 8 freight advisory
committee members within this update.
8.0 Recommendations, Funding, & Investment Plan
The District is seeking ways to increase the efficiency, safety, and overall condition and
performance of its freight network and has developed the following list of
recommendations and projects to achieve the goals of this freight plan update:
1.19. Freight Projects & Recommendations
Maintain a freight advisory committee Building off of stakeholder engagement through
the freight plan update project, maintaining a standing formal freight advisory committee
would benefit both the freight industry and the District by providing a structured method for
information exchange. A formal standing committee, made up of a diverse group of freight
stakeholders could provide regular feedback to DDOT and also serve as a pool to provide
data to the District for future studies. Feedback from committee members would not
preclude participation from other stakeholders but would provide a minimum level of
stakeholder feedback for ongoing studies, projects, and policy considerations.
Improve curbside loading operations Explore new strategies & technology, such as
progressive pricing, automatic enforcement, service vehicle vs delivery specific zones, to
improve curbside operations for commercial loading.
Focus additional resources on inter-jurisdictional cooperation in rail planning to
preserve and enhance rail throughput in the District of Columbia The District of
Columbia is a major gateway for rail freight moving through the mid-Atlantic region but it is
not a major generator or destination of rail freight. The District should be a good steward of
the portion of the regional freight rail network that is within its borders, so the District
8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS, FUNDING &
INVESTMENT PLAN
93
doesn’t become a choke affecting many states’ rail market shares. The District should also
support freight and commuter rail system capacity expansion efforts, while minimizing
disruptions to city streets and utilities during construction.
Provide publicly available comprehensive & up to date truck route information
Develop public GIS files of posted weights, height restrictions, truck routes and restrictions,
bus routes & restrictions.
Update Freight Design Guidelines Review and revise DDOT’s Design and Engineering
Manual to include information on the special logistical needs of commercial motor vehicles
(turning radii, loading zone design, etc.). Review roadway and intersection design criteria
and standards to consider modifications to enhance truck operations, especially on major
truck corridors. To ensure traffic forecasts effectively guide the design of roadway
improvements along major truck corridors. projects should include a specific estimate of
truck traffic and identify truck operational issues for input to project design.
Invest in Freight Data Investigate and invest in freight data sources to better understand
and plan for freight demand and movements in the District.
Coordinate with FMCSA, NHTSA, and Vision Zero to support road safety Expand
educational efforts to advise motorists and pedestrians regarding safety issues associated
with the operation of trucks on District streets. There is a need for a broad-based public
understanding of the hazards associated with trucks, passenger vehicles, and pedestrians
circulating in dense urban areas, and the District should take advantage of all the
resources provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Public information and education
campaigns are ways of increasing this understanding.
Coordinate with Bus Priority / Sustainable Transportation Projects to maintain
goods movement and mitigate truck conflicts. As the District grows, its streets will need
to support more and different transportation users and an increasingly broad mix of
vehicular traffic. To support a mix of uses and vehicular trips, the MoveDC project assigned
modal priorities for each major District corridor. Shared truck/bus lanes should be
considered as one component among a much broader group of treatment and policy
options that can be used to improve truck travel time, reliability, safety, and to reduce
emissions in urban areas. Stakeholder consultation and involvement are essential for
helping to decide whether truck/bus lanes are appropriate for a given situation. While
94
loading zones typically allow deliveries to be made safely without having to block the travel
lane, there are some inherent competing uses of curb side space. For instance, navigating
in and out of a loading zone directly into a bicycle lane presents an potential safety hazard
to both the delivery person and the bicyclist.
Oversize/Overweight Routing Tool Maintenance and Enhancement The Oversize /
Overweight (OSOW) vehicle routing tool generates mandatory, vetted routes for OSOW
vehicles needing single-haul permits to travel within the District. The tool needs to be
regularly updated to mitigate impacts of OSOW vehicles in the District. This funds updates
to the tool’s HERE roadway data and Hexagon routing application every five years as well
as software subscriptions and IT support to fix bugs and keep the tool operational.
Update OSOW Permitting System to integrate bridge rating system, automatically issue
standard OSOW permits.
Institute regulations for private escort vehicle operators to support safe traffic
management of select OSOW loads.
Support Existing Weigh In Motion Systems
WIM Operations Support The District has Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems on I-295 and
New York Ave NE providing vehicle volume and weight data. This funds calibration, data
collection, QA/QC.
Weigh In Motion Upgrade and Repair The District has Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems
on I-295 and New York Ave NE providing vehicle volume and weight data. This funds
repairs and upgrades to the systems.
Invest in Truck Enforcement Equipment Currently, the District operates permanent
weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems on I-295 near Blue Plains Drive SE exit and on New York
Avenue near Prince George’s County line. While existing WIM stations provide commercial
motor vehicle volume and weight data, it is recommended that DDOT invest in additional,
portable, WIM scales that can be deployed by MPD to support direct enforcement. These
portable WIM scales can be moved to key entry locations on high commercial vehicle
corridors based on traffic conditions and freight flows. These types of truck enforcement
equipment investments are informed by an Intelligent Transportation System unit funded
feasibility study.
Positive Truck Route Signage: Funds to develop a needs assessment, implementation
plan, and cost proposal for positive truck route signage, which identifies truck routes.
DDOT should consider implementing a comprehensive signage program that easily
identifies designated truck routes, facilitates the safe and efficient movement of trucks, and
minimizes illegal truck traffic especially in historically marginalized communities. The goal
of this study is to understand the costs and benefits of proactively restricting trucks from all
local streets instead of having community members request a restriction for certain
streets/blocks, and the process by which the District would implement this policy. The
intended outcome of this potential policy is to lead to a more equitable truck restriction
framework across the District and lessen the truck traffic in minority communities. Potential
95
signage for the District would consist of two general sign types: 1) positive or guide signs
for route identification and 2) prohibitive regulatory signs. Positive or guide signs direct
drivers to and through the truck route network. Prohibitive signage consists of regulatory
signs intended to discourage truck drivers from using restricted roads. Central to the
program is a sign that is designed for easy recognition and consistency with a single
standardized design, size, shape, color, and content. Any new signs should be clear in
their meaning and intention and be consistent with Manuel on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD) standards. Thoughtful placement of signs is also essential so that
truckers know where to look for the information at decision points in the Truck Route
Network. Designating a typical placement for the truck signs at intersections and setting a
typical spacing between signs along a corridor will cultivate driver awareness and help
serve as a self-enforcing mechanism to regulate truck movements.
State Freight Plan Update: This funds a federally mandated update to the State Freight
Plan.
State Freight Plan Update (2026): This funds a federally mandated update to the State
Freight Plan, due every four years under the IIJ Act.
State Freight Plan Update (2030): This funds a federally mandated update to the State
Freight Plan, due every four years under the IIJ Act.
I-295 Weigh Station Upgrade – Northbound DDOT is seeking a consultant to design a
weigh station on NB I-295 to support regular enforcement of truck violations identified by
the adjacent WIM system. Upgrades to the fixed scale and weigh station along I-295 will be
funded through the National Highway Freight Program, and managed through DDOT’s
Infrastructure Project Management Administration (IPMA).
I-295 Weigh Station Construction Southbound DDOT is seeking a consultant to
construct upgrades for its weigh station on SB I-295 to support regular enforcement of
truck violations identified by the adjacent WIM system. Upgrades to the fixed scale and
weigh station along I-295 will be funded through the National Highway Freight Program,
and managed through DDOT’s Infrastructure Project Management Division (IPMD).
I-295 Northbound Weigh Station Construction DDOT is seeking a consultant to
construct a weigh station on NB I-295 to support regular enforcement of truck violations
identified by the adjacent WIM system. Upgrades to the fixed scale and weigh station along
I-295 will be funded through the National Highway Freight Program, and managed through
DDOT’s Infrastructure Project Management Division (IPMD).
Highway sign design & installation Funding to address truck-related signage needs
within the agency’s existing highway sign structure contract.
Innovative Freight Delivery Practices – Research & Analysis: As mentioned in the
2014 state freight plan and moveDC long range transportation plan, DDOT seeks to
encourage innovative practices to mitigate the impacts of freight movement in the District.
Some of the emerging innovative practices to consider include: Systematic use of human-
powered vehicles (often with electric assistance modes) for delivery and pick-ups,
designated residential loading zones, and/or curbside delivery depots in dense commercial
districts for last-mile delivery by foot or (e-)bike. DDOT seeks to hire a consultant to further
96
research these and potentially a few additional innovative practices to determine the
feasibility and potential benefits of widespread implementation in the District.
Implement a sustainable delivery pilot program Many small retail businesses, offices,
and cafés regularly receive small shipments which can be carried without the use of gas or
electricity. Human-powered vehicles (often with electric assistance modes) can do a hefty
share of last-mile carrying, replacing diesel trucks and making the Central Business District
cleaner and more livable.
Implement Delivery Demand Management Program This program adapts the concept of
transportation demand management to use outreach, education, and incentives to reduce
overall traffic congestion and delays, commercial motor vehicles conflicts in bus and bike
lanes, and improve delivery travel times. This program will educate businesses on their
curbside constraints and opportunities, provide information on their off-street or off-peak
loading options, and create incentives for reducing curbside loading impacts.
Paving Restoration – NHPP Streets The DDOT’s National Highway Freight Network is in
continual need of maintenance and upgrade in order to support and improve truck mobility
through the District. To that end, DDOT’s freight program has identified planned agency
infrastructure improvement projects along this network that support truck mobility, such as
paving restoration projects on National Highway Performance Program streets. This project
will be funded through the National Highway Freight Program, and managed through
DDOT’s Asset Management Division.
Maintain & Improve DC Port There is a District-owned dock along the Anacostia River
that is in need of inspection, repair and updating to continue its current use of providing
water access for large equipment and materials, including for DDOT bridge inspection,
maintenance and construction projects. The Dock will also require design of upgrades to
enable possible future uses.
Geometric & Safety Improvements along I-295 Study The DDOT’s National Highway
Freight Network is in continual need of maintenance and upgrade in order to support and
improve truck mobility through the District. To that end, DDOT’s freight program has
identified planned agency infrastructure improvement projects along this network that
support truck mobility, such as the Safety and Geometric Improvements of I-295 and DC-
295 Study. This corridor has been identified as a critical urban freight corridor. The project
will be funded in part through the National Highway Freight Program, and managed
through DDOT’s Infrastructure Project Management Division (IPMD).
Rehabilitation of Minnesota Ave Bridge over East Capitol St. Funding to support
infrastructure rehabilitation along a critical urban freight corridor and supporting freight
mobility. The project will be funded in part through the National Highway Freight Program,
and managed through DDOT’s Infrastructure Project Management Division (IPMD).
97
1.20. Freight Funding Sources
DDOT updated its freight investment plan to comply with the Infrastructure Investment &
Jobs Act, which requires an eight-year outlook on each State’s freight-related investments
involving National Highway Freight Program funding, and FHWA approved it on September
23, 2022.
1.20.1. Current District DOT Federal Funding Allocation
The below table lists the apportionment of the National Freight Program to the District for
each Fiscal Year through 2030. The total Federal freight funds for the eight-year period is
$50.67 million.
Figure 30 | District of Columbia Apportionments under the National Freight Program
FY 2023-2030
Fiscal Year
NHFP Apportionment
FY 2023
$6,585,599
FY 2024
$5,753,167
FY 2025
$5,925,762
FY 2026
$6,103,535
FY 2027
$6,286,641
FY 2028
$6,475,241
FY 2029
$6,669,498
FY 2030
$6,869,583
TOTAL
$50,669,027
Source: DDOT and FHWA. *Before post-apportionment set asides,
before penalties, and before sequestration.
1.21. Freight Investment Plan
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs (IIJ) Act requires states and MPOs to provide an
eight-year financially constrained freight-investment plan to include a list of priority projects
and proposed funding within their freight plans (49 U.S. Code § 70202). The District of
Columbia NHFP fund apportionment totals $50.67 million for FY 2023 through FY 2030.
The following Table lists District of Columbia freight projects identified for freight formula
98
funds for FY2023 to FY2030. The federal and local matches are identified in Figure 24.
This summary of the District’s planned National Highway Freight Program funds
expenditure includes the projected unused balance at the end of each fiscal year.
DDOT’s approach for allocating federal freight funds is to apply the funding for federal
fiscal years 2023-2030 to projects preserving and optimizing existing resources, and
assessing the potential of innovative practices to mitigate freight movement impacts.
DDOT used the projects and priorities identified in the 2014 District of Columbia Freight
Plan, its 2020 freight plan addendum, and the agency’s moveDC long term transportation
plan as the basis of this 2023 investment plan update. The projects identified for federal
funds incorporate agency projects that support DDOT’s long-term transportation and freight
programmatic goals while being managed by partner DDOT units in order to make full use
of the District’s federal freight funding authority.
Figure 31 | District of Columbia Freight Investment Plan (2023-2030) Projects Funded by
NHFP Funds
Project Title
FY
Ratio
Federal
NHFP
Non-Federal
Funding
Projected
Expenditure
s
Oversize/Overweight
Routing Tool
Maintenance and
Enhancement
2023
80/20
$202,482
$50,621
$253,103
2024
80/20
$186,620
$46,655
$233,275
2025
80/20
$186,620
$46,655
$233,275
2026
80/20
$404,202
$101,050
$505,252
2027
80/20
$186,620
$46,655
$233,275
2028
80/20
$186,620
$46,655
$233,275
2029
80/20
$186,620
$46,655
$233,275
2030
80/20
$480,000
$120,000
$600,000
WIM Operations
Support
2023
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2024
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2025
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2026
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2027
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2028
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2029
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
2030
80/20
$172,000
$43,000
$215,000
Weigh In Motion
Upgrade and Repair
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
$2,765,747
$1,031,753
$3,797,500
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
99
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
Positive Truck Route
Signage
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
$800,000
$200,000
$1,000,000
2025
80/20
$1,600,000
$400,000
$2,000,000
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
State Freight Plan
Update
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
State Freight Plan
Update (2026)
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
$640,000
$160,000
$800,000
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
State Freight Plan
Update (2030)
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
$640,000
$160,000
$800,000
2030
80/20
I-295 Weigh Station
Upgrade -
Northbound
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
$1,041,600
$260,400
$1,302,000
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
I-295 Weigh Station
Construction
Southbound
2023
80/20
$5,453,717
$2,141,283
$7,595,000
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
100
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
I-295 Northbound
Weigh Station
Construction
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
$9,600,000
$2,400,000
$12,000,000
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
Highway sign design
& installation
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
$800,000
$200,000
$1,000,000
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
Innovative Freight
Delivery Practices –
Research & Analysis
2023
80/20
$120,000
$30,000
$150,000
2024
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
2025
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
2026
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
2027
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
2028
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
2029
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
2030
80/20
$440,000
$110,000
$550,000
Delivery Demand
Management
Program
2023
80/20
$160,000
$40,000
$200,000
2024
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
2025
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
2026
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
2027
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
2028
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
2029
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
2030
80/20
$347,200
$86,800
$434,000
Pavement
Restoration - NHPP
Streets
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
$1,600,000
$400,000
$2,000,000
2030
80/20
$1,600,000
$400,000
$2,000,000
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
101
Pavement
Restoration - NHPP
Streets
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
$800,000
$200,000
$1,000,000
2030
80/20
$800,000
$200,000
$1,000,000
Truck Enforcement
Equipment
2023
80/20
$477,400
$119,350
$596,750
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
$480,000
$120,000
$600,000
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
$480,000
$120,000
$600,000
DC Port
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
$160,000
$40,000
$200,000
2029
80/20
$1,736,000
$434,000
$2,170,000
2030
80/20
Safety & Geometric
Improvements of I-
295 / DC-295 (long
term)
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
$2,880,000
$720,000
$3,600,000
2029
80/20
$1,600,000
$400,000
$2,000,000
2030
80/20
Rehabilitation of
Minnesota Ave
Bridge over East
Capitol St.
2023
80/20
2024
80/20
2025
80/20
2026
80/20
2027
80/20
2028
80/20
$2,048,480
$512,120
$2,560,600
2029
80/20
2030
80/20
Total
$47,189,128
$12,915,452
$60,104,580
Figure 32 | District of Columbia Freight Funding Summary
Fiscal
Year
Federal
NHFP
Funds
Non-
Federal
Funds
Projected
Expenditures
Annual NHFP
Apportionments
Unused
NHFP
102
Balance at
End of FY
2023
$6,585,599
$2,424,254
$9,009,853
$6,585,599
$0
2024
$5,753,167
$1,778,608
$7,531,775
$5,753,167
$0
2025
$4,185,820
$1,046,455
$5,232,275
$5,925,762
$1,739,942
2026
$1,843,402
$460,850
$2,304,252
$6,103,535
$6,000,076
2027
$10,745,820
$2,686,455
$13,432,275
$6,286,641
$1,540,897
2028
$6,234,300
$1,558,575
$7,792,875
$6,475,241
$1,781,838
2029
$7,521,820
$1,880,455
$9,402,275
$6,669,498
$929,516
2030
$4,319,200
$1,079,800
$5,399,000
$6,869,583
$3,479,898
Total
$47,189,128
$12,915,452
$60,104,580
$50,669,027
IIJA freight funding can be used for projects on the National Highway Freight Network
(NHFN). The NHFN is designed to direct federal resources toward improvement of
highway or otherwise crucial portions of the national freight system. The National Highway
Freight Network includes:
• Primary Highway Freight System (PHFS),
• Other Interstate Portions Not on the PHFS,
• Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs), and
• Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs).
States DOT’s, in conjunction with metropolitan planning organizations are responsible for
designating roadways for the Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs). The District has
already designated 75 miles of CUFCs, (please refer below for information on CUFC
designation in the District) and will be coordinating with the National Capitol Region
Transportation Planning Board, its MPO, to designate additional miles as appropriate. The
District can spend IIJA freight funds for projects on the PHFS and Critical Urban Freight
Corridors.
103
9.0 Freight Plan Implementation & Performance
Measures
This section summarizes identified recommendations for performance measures that will
advance national and state/local freight and transportation goals.
The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) maintained national freight policy, which
includes seven goals oriented “to improve the condition and performance of the national
freight network to ensure that the national freight network provides the foundation for the
United States to compete in the global economy.” These goals served as a guide for
DDOT’s development of the following performance measures.
For state freight plans, U.S. DOT recommends that measures of conditions and
performance reflect the State’s freight transportation goals—for each goal, there would be
at least one measure that indicates how well the freight transportation system is achieving
that goal. Regarding the performance of the freight system specifically, the relevant federal
rule requires states to set targets for freight performance measures and use these targets
to measure progress.
Performance measures are tools used to determine if the desired outcomes are being
achieved over a specified period. They are an important element of plans that assist in
tracking the plan’s progress towards reaching its goals and objectives. The District’s long-
range transportation plan, moveDC, ties freight-related strategies and their related
performance metrics to many of moveDC’s seven goals: Safety, Equity, Mobility, Project
Delivery, Management and Operations, Sustainability, and Enjoyable Spaces. Below is an
excerpt from moveDC showing a freight-related strategy with performance metrics.
9. FREIGHT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION &
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
104
Figure 29 | A Freight-Related Strategy in the District’s 2022 moveDC Long Range
Transportation Plan
1.22. National Freight Planning Goals
A State Freight Plan must include a description of how the plan will improve the ability of
the State to meet the national multimodal freight policy goals as described in section
70101(b) of title 49 and the national highway freight program goals established under
section 167 of title 23, which are:
(1) Identify infrastructure improvements, policies, and operational innovations that
strengthen the contribution of the National Multimodal Freight Network to the economic
competitiveness of the United States, reduce congestion and eliminate bottlenecks on the
National Multimodal Freight Network, and increase productivity, particularly for domestic
industries and businesses that create high-value jobs;
(2) To improve the safety, security, efficiency, and resiliency of multimodal freight
transportation;
(3) Achieve and maintain a state of good repair of the national multimodal freight network;
(4) Use innovation and advanced technology to improve the safety, efficiency, and
reliability of the National Multimodal Freight Network;
105
(5) Improve the economic efficiency and productivity of the National Multimodal Freight
Network;
(6) Improve the reliability of freight transportation;
(7) Improve the short- and long-distance movement of goods that travel across rural areas
between population centers, travel between rural areas and population centers, and travel
from the Nation’s ports, airports, and gateways to the National Multimodal Freight Network;
(8) Improve the flexibility of States to support multi-State corridor planning and the creation
of multi-State organizations to increase the ability of States to address multimodal freight
connectivity;
(9) Reduce the adverse environmental impacts of freight movement on the National
Multimodal Freight Network; and
(10) Pursue the goals described in this subsection in a manner that is not burdensome to
State and local governments.
With regard to the performance of the freight system specifically, the relevant federal rule
requires states to set targets for freight performance measures and use these targets
against which they can measure progress. Two primary measures for gauging freight
performance are required: (1) percent of interstate system uncongested and (2) percent of
interstate system providing for reliable travel times.
Figure 33 | Alignment of National Goal Areas and National Performance Management
Measures
National Goal Area
Relevant National Performance Measure
Safety
▪ Number and rate of traffic fatalities
▪ Number and rate of serious injuries
▪ Number of non-motorized fatalities and non-
motorized serious injuries
Infrastructure Condition
▪ Percentage of National Highway System bridges
classified in good condition
▪ Percentage of National Highway System bridges
classified in poor condition
▪ Percentage of interstate pavements in good
condition
▪ Percentage of interstate pavements in poor condition
▪ Percentage of non-interstate National Highway
System pavements in good condition
106
National Goal Area
Relevant National Performance Measure
▪ Percentage of non-interstate pavements in poor
condition
Environmental
Sustainability
Air quality criteria emission levels in areas that have not
met standards: Volatile Organic Compounds, Nitrous
Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, and particulate matter
(PM
10
/PM
2.5
)
36
System Reliability
Annual hours of peak hour excessive delay per person
37
Freight Movement and
Economic Vitality
Truck Travel Time Reliability on the Interstate System
38
1.23. Recommended DDOT Performance Measures
This section recommends performance measures for each of the six goals in this District
Freight Plan Update, and links them to national goals and those within the 2022 moveDC
long-range transportation plan. By linking the District’s documents through common goals,
the District will outline a clear path toward performance management to monitor, sustain
and improve the condition and performance of the District’s transportation system.
1.23.1. Sustainability Goal
The freight-applicable metric under this goal is to reduce air and water quality impacts of
transportation through reducing freight congestion. Eliminating and reducing congestion
caused by freight bottlenecks improves mobility for all system users and in turn will make it
36
Greenhouse gas emissions measure had not been determined at the time of this writing
37
For areas over 1 million population by 2018 and 200,000 population, in 2022 and beyond
38
For areas over 1 million population by 2018 and 200,000 population, in 2022 and beyond
107
more efficient for the movement of goods. The proposed Sustainability Performance
Measures are shown in the below table.
Figure 34 | Sustainability Performance Measures
1.23.2. Mobility Goal
The freight applicable metrics under this goal are to improve system reliability,
accommodate the movement and management of freight and goods, and integrate the
District’s transportation system with the region’s transportation network. Moving people and
goods efficiently, affordably and reliably is vital to the District’s economic competitiveness
and quality of life. Measures to meet moveDC’s Mobility goal are provided in the below
table.
Figure 35 | Mobility Performance Measures
National Goal(s)
DDOT Goal
Metric
Goal 9: Reduce the adverse
environmental impacts of freight
movement on the National
Multimodal Freight Network
Sustainability
Reduce congestion caused
by freight bottlenecks
Reduce GHG emissions
from the transportation
sector
Reduce vehicle miles
traveled (VMT)
Add DCFCs (direct current
fast charging) to the AFCs
(alternative fuel corridors)
Performance Measures
Data Source
Timeframe
Interstate congestion as measured by
the Truck Time Reliability Index
GHG emissions from the
transportation sector
Percentage of Alternative Fuel
Corridors (AFCs) with DCFCs (direct
current fast charging)
DDOT
DOEE
DDOT
Annually
Annually
Annually
National Goal(s)
DDOT Goal
Metric
108
Goal 2: Improve the safety, security,
efficiency, and resiliency of
multimodal freight transportation
Goal 4: Use innovation and advanced
technology to improve the safety,
efficiency, and reliability of the
national multimodal freight network
Goal 5: Improve the economic
efficiency and productivity of the
national multimodal freight
network
Goal 9: Reduce the adverse
environmental impacts of freight
movement on the National Multimodal
Freight Network
Goal 6: Improve the reliability of
freight transportation
Mobility
Improve System
Reliability, Create
infrastructure and policies
that enhance the
movement of goods and
improve efficiency
Mobility
Accommodate the
movement and
management of freight
and goods. Explore new
freight strategies including
delivery microhubs and
delivery demand
management techniques.
Mobility
Integrate the District’s
transportation system with
the region’s transportation
network, Maintain freight
access within planning of
dedicated transit and bike
facilities. Balance
residential character of
local streets with truck
access for home
deliveries.
Performance Measures
Data Source
Timeframe
Number of vehicle permits issued
with appropriately auto-generated
routing and manual engineering
assessment, as needed
DDOT
Annually
Number of functioning static weigh
station and weigh in motion (WIM)
systems
DDOT
Annually
Percent of primary freight route
pavement in good condition
DDOT
Annually
Number of tickets issued for
unauthorized vehicles in loading
zones
DDOT
Annually
Number of tickets issued to
vehicles in violation of through-
truck restrictions
DDOT
Annually
Number of tickets issued to
commercial vehicles for double-
parking
DDOT
Annually
109
1.23.3. Safety Goal
The District’s goals are to improve safety for all users and preserve key functions without
impacting the transportation system. Roadway safety is critically important and affected by
several factors including driver behavior, enforcement, education, infrastructure conditions,
and technology innovations. In addition, the District of Columbia also published its Vision
Plan Update in 2022, which seeks to achieve zero traffic deaths by 2024. With Mayor
Bowser’s commitment, the District will implement safety improvements on fifteen of the
most dangerous corridors, reducing conflicts at fifteen high-crash intersections, expand its
school crossing guard program. In addition, DDOT has lowered speed limits from 30 MPH
to 25 MPH on key DC corridors to further Vision Zero goals. DDOT has changed the speed
limit to 25 MPH on Connecticut Avenue NW and New York Avenue NE. Future locations
for speed limit reductions will include North Capitol Street/Blair Road NW from Harewood
Road NE/NW to Van Buren Street NW, and Wheeler Road SE from Wahler Place SE to
Southern Avenue SE. The Performance Measures aimed to meet the District’s goals are
shown below.
39
Figure 36 | Safety Performance Measures
39
ddot.dc.gov/page/vision-zero-initiative
Number of street redesign and
reconstruction projects utilizing
freight considerations checklist
DDOT
Annually
Number of feeders on schedule for
undergrounding per the biennial
plan
DDOT
Biannually
National Goal(s)
DDOT Goal
Metric
Goal 4: Use innovation and
advanced technology to improve the
safety, efficiency, and reliability of the
National Multimodal Freight Network
Safety
Improve safety for all users
Performance Measures
Data Source
Timeframe
Number of crashes involving
trucks
DDOT
Annually
110
1.23.4. Security Goal
The District, as the seat of power for the United States, has special security
requirements. These security needs are taken into consideration through
established planning processes and careful coordination with the many agencies
responsible for security and preparedness in the region. The development of this
freight plan update included coordination with District security agencies, including
the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the District’s Homeland Security and
Emergency Management Agency (DC HSEMA). DDOT has an ongoing partnership
with MPD and DC HSEMA, who implement the security protocols to assess and
manage potentially hazardous freight movement across all modes while ensuring
reliable goods movement for District businesses and residents. The proposed
Security Performance Measure is shown in the table below.
Figure 37 | Security Performance Measures
National Goal(s)
DDOT Goal
Metric
Goal 2: Improve the safety, security, efficiency,
and resiliency of multimodal freight transportation
Security
Secure movement
of goods.
Consistent data
sharing with public
security agencies.
Performance Measures
Data Source
Timeframe
Number of hazardous material incidents
involving truck, water, or rail
DDOT
Annually
1.23.5. Management & Operations Goal
Infrastructure is aging across the nation and adds to the budgetary challenges to funding
decisions. There is a need for investing in maintenance and operations to ensure that the
primary freight routes and transportation system can achieve a state of good repair. The
proposed Preservation Freight Performance Measures are shown in the below table.
Number of fatalities in crashes
involving trucks
DDOT
Annually
Number of serious injuries in
crashes involving trucks
DDOT
Annually
111
Figure 38 | Management and Operations Performance Measures
1.23.0. Equity Goal
DDOT recognizes that there are inequities in transportation policy, planning, and project
delivery in Washington, D.C. Deep-rooted structural injustices and inequities have
contributed to the disparate access to safe, affordable, and efficient transportation that
provides access to economic opportunities, housing, and services for communities across
the District. DDOT acknowledges these inequities have disproportionately and negatively
impacted environmental and health outcomes in our under-resourced communities. There
National Goal(s)
DDOT Goal
Metric
Goal 3: Achieve and maintain a state of good
repair on the National Multimodal Freight
Network
Management
& Operations
Maximize
reliability for all
District
transportation
infrastructure by
investing in
maintenance and
asset
management
Goal 5: Improve the economic efficiency and
productivity of the national multimodal freight
network
Management
& Operations
Provide reliable
available curb
space for
deliveries by good
management of
the loading zone
program.
Performance Measures
Data Source
Timeframe
Percent of bridges on primary freight routes
in fair or better condition
DDOT
Annual
Percent of primary freight route pavement in
good condition
DDOT
Annual
Number of emerging technology pilots
implemented
DDOT
Annual
Number of operational loading zone spaces
DDOT
Annually
Timeframe to install or relocate loading zones
by request
DDOT
Annually
112
is a need to identify and address environmental justice and equity considerations arising
from freight movements within transportation investments and decision-making. The
proposed Equity metrics and Performance Measures are shown below.
Figure 39 | Equity Performance Measures
National Goal(s)
DDOT Goal
Metric
Goal 9: Reduce the adverse environmental
impacts of freight movement on the National
Multimodal Freight Network
Equity
Reduce negative
freight impacts in
communities of
greatest need;
Seek to listen,
learn, and
address historical
inequities arising
from freight
movements
Performance Measures
Data Source
Timeframe
Number of projects assessed for equity
DDOT
Annual
1.23.1. Performance Measures Summary
The necessary data for the measures will come almost exclusively from DDOT sources
with one identified measure coming from the National Performance Measure Research
Data Set (NPMRDS). The timeframe for data analysis will be both annually and quarterly
depending upon current collection frequency and need for analysis and timely corrective
actions (for example a spike in crashes on certain roadways that would benefit from
increased enforcement or improved signage).
113
Figure 40 | Performance Measures Summary
Performance Measure Category
Number of Potential Measures
Sustainability
3
Mobility
8
Safety
3
Security
1
Management & Operations
5
Equity
1