CAPITAL DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

FREIGHT TASK FORCE

 

Record of Meeting on Friday, October 23, 1999

CDTC Office, 5 Computer Drive West

 

Attendance: Michael Franchini, Albany County; Jeff Marko, NYSDOT; Ted Thompson, NYSDOT – Region 1; Katherine Forster, CDTC

 

Regrets: Chungchin Chen, CDRPC; Steve Iachetta, Albany County Airport

 

Member Updates/Current Events

 

DOT – The 30-day trial of tandem trucks on the 787 to access the port was turned down at the Federal level.  DOT is still trying to ask for a Federal exception in the legislation for this section of the 787.  The Thruway is exploring the option of owning that part of the highway.  In regards to the tandems on Route 5 in Glenville, the legislation is subject to the approval of the DOT Commissioner.  The Port of New York/New Jersey is looking for satellite storage because its landside storage areas are constrained.  There are two options in this area - New Baltimore Rest Area on the Thruway and the Port of Albany.  Mr. Thompson attended the Commercial Vehicle Safety Conference in Saratoga Springs, which had attendees from both the bus and truck sectors.  The conference provides information on new regulations at both the state and federal levels.

 

Albany County – The public hearing for the Albany-Shaker Road project has taken place.  Albany County received thirty comments, which they are evaluating.  The preferred road design alternative is Alternative 4.  The jurisdictional maintenance for this project is the big question.  The County and the local municipality are still debating who will own and maintain the new roads.  Albany County is also addressing the Tandem lot issue with letters to Senator McNulty and Senator Schumer.

 

Status of CDTC Activities

 

Freight Task Force Meeting Survey - CDTC staff has put together a one-page survey on proposed meeting topics and tours.  This will help staff identify what the Task Force is interested in when planning future meetings.  When you receive the survey, please fill it out and fax it back as soon as possible.

 

TCSP Project in South Troy - CDTC is part of the steering committee for this project. The South Troy Waterfront study will include a clean-up plan for brownfields, access management, truck routes, and an economic development plan.  With its proposal it will take into account all of the local projects in and around the area including the Industrial Road in South Troy that will be built by year 2002.   CSXT indicated that they were interested in expansion in the South Troy area and that they are in the process of upgrading the tracks.

 

Enhancement Program - The Enhancement Program is a Federal program for bicycle and pedestrian projects.  Of note is that some cities are applying for funds to enhance their intermodal stations: Schenectady Intermodal Station (facilities for the train, bus, and a transportation museum) and the City of Albany Waterfront Intermodal Project (bus drop-off, tourist information, pedestrian & bicycle facilities).  They are both on the CDTC top ten list.  This list of recommended project for the Capital District goes to the state where they will be ranked against all other projects in state.  There is approximately 2-3 million from this program for projects in the Capital District area.

 

Qualifying and Access Highway Maps - CDTC is creating maps for the Designated Truck Access Highway System in the Capital District area.  This system includes Federal  (Qualifying) and State (Access) networks that identify highways that larger vehicles are authorized to travel on under legislation.  If any member of the Task Force would like a copy of these maps they are available to the public.

 

TIP Update - There is $1.8 M in the TIP designated for safety projects.  It will be used for sign replacements for Albany County and the City.  There was also a TIP revision to ensure consistency between CDTC's and NYSDOT's program.  The planning committee agreed to move up a bridge replacement project for Sand Lake Rd. over Sand Creek (Rensselaer County) for a January 2001 letting.

 

New Visions 2030 - This will be an update on the long-range plan for the Capital District.  The New Visions Plan gives us direction to the year 2015 but Federal legislature requires that an MPO always have a long-range plan that extends out for twenty years.  The New Visions Plan is not being re-done.  This will just look further into the future.  Preliminary idea is to call it New Visions 2030 - Taking a longer View.  The draft product is anticipated for October 2000.  CDTC will need to well define public participation so that outside participants are used effectively

 

Champlain Hudson Trade Corridor Conference

Both sessions went really well. The second session in Plattsburgh tied the whole corridor coalition effort together with a roundtable event at the end of the day that allowed participants to help write a business plan for the coalition's next steps.  There were over one hundred attendees at each session and the conference committee has received a lot of positive feedback.  The proceedings will be mailed out soon.

 

Harry Caldwell's Tour

Mr. Caldwell from the FHWA, spent two days touring the corridor up to Plattsburgh, with stops along the way in Glens Falls, Saratoga and other places.  He was shown what this area is doing in terms of trade, commerce, shipping and economic development.  At a debriefing session, he gave advice on how to devise a business plan for the trade corridor coalition, and he noted some of the opportunities of this corridor: education, ITS, historic tourism and others.

 

Corridor Coalition/Border Crossings Proposal

With the help of Harry Caldwell's tour and the conference we are well on our way to establishing a formal coalition for this corridor.  Some of the next steps for the coalition are to formalize a business plan; get recognition from the governor; get involvement from Quebec (MOU) and get the business community to help fund this corridor coalition.  The Federal Grant Proposal must be in to the NYSDOT by early November, it will go to the Federal level by the end of November.  ITS and multi-state projects did the best in this program last year.  The three projects that the coalition is supporting are the border crossing facility improvements, the relocation of the Thruway Tandem Lot and CP Rail vertical clearance improvements.  These three projects are being submitted separately but are jointly supported.  Ted Thompson of DOT is writing the application for the CP Rail project.

 

ACTION ITEMS

-        NEXT TASK FORCE MEETING: Friday, January 21, 1:30-3:30

-        LOCATION - to be announced.

-        The agenda will include: Member Updates, Update on the NCPD&CBI program, New Visions 2030 and other updates.

-        CDTC staff to mail out Freight Task Force Survey regarding meeting topics and tours.