Jamie Foster

The DRAFT California Freight Mobility Plan (CFMP) 2020 is now available for public review. Comments are due no later than January 30, 2020.

The CFMP is a comprehensive plan that governs the immediate and long-range planning activities and capital investments by the state with respect to freight movement. As the national gateway for international trade and domestic commerce, California enhances economic competitiveness by collaboratively developing and operating an integrated, multimodal freight transportation system that provides safe, sustainable freight mobility. This system facilitates the reliable and efficient movement of freight while ensuring a prosperous economy, social equity, and human and environmental health. The CFMP also complies with California State Government Code Section 13978.8(b)(1) (Assembly Bill 14, Lowenthal) and the freight provisions of the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) which requires each State that receives funding under the National Highway Freight Program to develop a State Freight Plan.

You can access and review the DRAFT CFMP 2020 here. Instructions on how to leave comments are posted on the website. If you have any questions, please contact the Caltrans Office of Freight Planning at cfmp@dot.ca.gov.

The Southern California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (L.A. port complex) are together the nation’s busiest container port complex and primary gateway for waterborne trade between the United States and Asia. Last year, the L.A. port complex handled almost $380 billion of trade goods, connecting businesses and consumers across the entire nation to trading partners in Asia. How does trade through the L.A. port complex affect you? 37% of all imports and 21.7% of all exports flow through these ports, touching every state in nation. Learn how this trade impacts your state in the map below.

Full post is here by the Port of Los Angeles.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program Grants 2019

Congress authorized this grant program for the Secretary of Transportation to invest in a wide range of projects within the United States to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigate congestion at both intercity passenger and freight rail chokepoints; enhance multi-modal connections; and lead to new or substantially improved Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation corridors. Rail safety projects include, but are not limited to, grade crossing enhancements, rail line Relocations and Improvements, and deployment of railroad safety technology. Eligible work also includes: regional rail and corridor Planning, environmental analyses, and research, workforce development, and training.

Details are in this document and at https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P1167. Applications are due October 18, 2019.