Environmental justice and intermodal freight emissions: a case study along the I-95 corridor
Date
2010
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Environmental Justice analysis is now part of the transportation planning process of most metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). The analysis focuses on equitable distribution of money spent on transportation development and improvement projects. Another current topic of discussion in MPOs and other organizations is the congestion and environmental tradeoffs of shifting freight between modes, moving containers by rail or water instead of trucks. However, one of the unconsidered tradeoffs which this study explores is the impact of those emissions on nearby populations. Using the highway and rail corridors of New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland, the research evaluated the amount of emissions from each mode and looked at the affected populations as freight is shifted from truck to rail.