Identifying optimal Truck freight management strategies through urban areas: Case study of major freight corridor near US-Mexico border

In the United States, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act has created new funding opportunities to improve safety and eliminate critical freight bottlenecks. This has renewed focus of transportation agencies (state Department of Transportation [DOTs], and Metropolitan Planning Organizations [MPOs], cities, etc.) towards freight management strategies and projects that can significantly reduce inefficiencies in freight mobility through urban areas. However, current literature has gaps in terms of identifying appropriate freight projects, lacks review of implemented truck freight management strategies, and does not identify modeling methodologies for these freight management strategies. Hence, this paper reviews and classifies various freight management strategies, develops a systematic methodology to identify best strategies, and provides modeling guidance. The paper also performs case studies on shortlisted strategies for major freight corridors in the city of El Paso at US-Mexico border region. The modeling methods and approach is generic and can be adopted by any agency.