Nev. DOT Hires Consultant for Freight Plan; State Sees Logistics as Economic Development Tool
A Jan. 21 statement from Nevada DOT said the study is due in July 2016 and that the report is part of a Federal Highway Administration requirement included in the MAP-21 highway law from 2012.
Trucking probably will be a major part of the study as a Nevada DOT document says 73% of the Silver State’s inbound freight arrives on trucks and 90% of its outbound cargo leaves that way.
NDOT said the plan will “aggressively” seek “economic opportunities tied to freight and could potentially help make way for federal funding for such projects as new truck climbing lanes, truck-platooning technology and other freight corridor improvements.”
The state government sees freight handling as an important economic development tool, said Bill Thompson, freight program manager for NDOT.
FHWA will pay for 80% of the Gallis freight plan and up to 90% of some of the projects it recommends, Thompson said, with NDOT picking up the remainder.
“We want to be able to compete with other states” in recruiting industries, he said.
The Nevada Trucking Association welcomed the study, said Paul Enos, the group’s CEO.
“Gaming has been great for this state, but since the recession, it’s been clear we have to diversify,” Enos said.
Thompson and Enos agreed that Nevada is not a big manufacturer, although mining still is important and does produce shipments. For much of trucking, though, the classic load “is a deadhead into Las Vegas.”
Between state residents and 40 million tourists and other visitors per year, Nevada needs lots of consumer goods, but Enos said the state needs other sources of employment in order to avoid the battering it took during the recession.
He said Tesla Motors is building a factory near Reno, and he is hopeful that will serve as a magnet to bring in other businesses.
