State of North Carolina Freight Plan

HNTB served as prime consultant for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) efforts to update their Statewide Multimodal Freight Plan (SMFP). This included updating all sections of the existing SMFP as well as developing additional sections required after the adoption of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in late 2021.

The updated plan incorporated numerous planning aspects into a singular product for the entire state with a focus on stakeholder engagement. HNTB led interviews, meetings, forums and online surveys to maximize input from key freight stakeholders in the public and private sectors. This helped gain valuable insight to help NCDOT achieve their vision for freight and goods mobility across the state.

HNTB analyzed modal profiles of freight moved by highway, rail, air, maritime, pipelines and the military. Commodity flow analysis data such as Freight Analysis Framework 5 and rail waybill data were used as part of this analysis. Both current and future year data were analyzed during the development of the profiles. The plan involved a multimodal needs assessment for both time periods.

The SMFP update also required an update to the North Carolina Statewide Truck Parking. HNTB worked with numerous public sector stakeholders and representatives from the trucking industry to assess the current truck parking inventory and needs, including potential future expansions or new locations for truck parking facilities.

HNTB also included new federally required elements, including an assessment of the impact of extreme weather and natural disasters on freight and goods mobility; the impact of freight movement on air pollution and air quality; flooding and stormwater runoff; wildlife habitat loss and the community impacts associated with goods mobility.