Enhancing Transportation Sustainability at U.S.-Mexico Border

1. U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee on Transportation Planning Greening Transportation at the Border April 18, 2012 Sylvia Grijalva Interstate and Border Planning Office of Planning FHWA

2. Over View • Background • JWC origins, purpose and goals • Greening Transportation @ Border • Border Wait-Time Emissions Analysis Study • Conclusion

3. Border Significance The value of trade between the United States & Mexico in 2011 was $423.1 Billion. U.S.–Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $367.1 Billion in 2011, an increase of 14.6 percent compared to 2010. 

4. Border Significance The value of imports carried by truck was 12.4 percent higher in 2011 than 2010; the value of exports carried by truck was 14.9 percent higher. Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in 2011 with $129.0 Billion.  

5. Border Significance For the third time on record, Texas has had more than $100 Billion in trade with Mexico by surface modes of transportation in a calendar year.  151.0 million people crossed into the U.S. from Mexico in personal vehicles or as pedestrians in 2011, an 8.9 percent decrease from 2010.

6. US – Mexico Border The U.S-Mexico border extends 1,954 miles. There are 45 active land border POEs and 9 international railroad crossings on the southern border.

7. U.S./ MX Joint Working Committee • Originated in 1994 via MOU • Coordinates transportation planning • Chaired by FHWA/SCT and formed of federal and state partners • Twin goals of communication and coordination • Biennual work plans

8. Biennial WorkplansEfforts • Regional Border Master Plans • Border Wait-time Studies • Traffic Forecasting and Data Coordination • Greening the Border

9. Greening Transportationat the Border Workshop February 2011 San Diego, California

10. Purpose To exchange information on transportation Greening efforts along the U.S./Mexico and U.S./Canada Border Regions

11. Partnership Initiative by the JWC and: • State Agencies: • CALTRANS • AZ DOT • NMDOT • TX DOT • CODEFRONT • Québec - Ministère des Transports • Québec - Ministère des Transports • TX General Land Office • Organizations: • North Country Chamber • NASCO • CEC Montréal • CEMEX • Ética Verde Federal Agencies: EPA BECC FHWA DOC GSA SEMARNAT SCT Transport Canada CBSA

12. Themes for the Workshop: Green Technology Performance / Reliability Measures Livability / Sustainability Green Financing / Industry

13. Performance / Reliability Measures "Case Study" for San Luis Rio Colorado ICP and Other Transportation/Mobility Project Investment Examples Green Roads Rating System Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessments Border Wait-Time studies Southern and Northern Borders Measurements and Mobil Sources of Emissions in Mexican Border States

14. Border Wait-time Emissions Analysis Study • One year study that ends in the fall of • 2012 • Consultant is Cambridge Systematics • Primary test area will be in the El Paso • Area LPOE • Modeling will be applicable to other POEs

15. JWC Green Border Subcommittee Goals • Create a baseline of vehicle emissions data. • Develop performance measures for emission reductions strategies. • Perform emissions data analysis enhancing air quality modeling at POEs establishing baseline data and emission projections with and without infrastructure or operational changes.

16. Objective -1 Support JWC Work • 2008-10 Work Plan : Regional Border Master Plans: • Will gather environmental data and forecast future conditions in the border region. • Foster consistency amongst the individual agency planning processes.

17. Objective -1 Support JWC Work • JWC Strategic Plan Goal : Ensure Sustainability: • Evaluate the emissions impacts of transportation projects (e.g. congestion relief initiatives, trusted traveler programs) and promote implementation of projects that reduce emissions. • Promote environmental consciousness in planning, design and operation of facilities and transportation system.

18. Objective 2 - Develop Relationships • Detailed data and microsimulation from two El Paso POE’s will be used to quantify vehicle activity associated with delays. Source: El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, El Paso Bridge of the Americas Port Improvement Project Proposal Report, Oct. 2008.

19. Objective 2 - Develop Relationships • Concept is to develop a set of operating mode profiles that can be extrapolated to other regions along the border using reasonably available metrics.

20. Objective 3 - Identify Data • Operational data: • Border wait time data, • Booth hours, and geometric data. • Planning Data: • Ambient Pollution Monitor Data,  • Transportation and air quality planning documents, and • Forecasts and trends • Project should be able to provide example data sets for use with MOVES 2010a. Source: Cambridge Systematics based on 2010 U.S. Customs and Border Protection counts and UTEP Border Region Modeling Project demographic data and cross-border growth forecasts.

21. Objective 4 - Baseline Emissions Inventory • MOVES 2010a will be used to evaluate emissions. • The project will identify missing data and estimate the cost to collect that data. • Guidance will be provided on the differences in procedures or results when using the EMFAC or MOBILE6-Mexico. Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

22. Objective 5 -Strategies &Performance Measures • Strategies and performance measures are anticipated to consider: • The range of potential cost effectiveness. • The range of potential emission reductions. • Border crossing wait times. • System Performance. • Project will propose candidate best practices. Source: Paso del Norte Mapa, http://www.pdnmapa.org/pdnmapa/index.htm

23. Objective 6 -Emissions Analysis Template • The Final product (template) will • Reflect emissions from cross border travel activity. • Use reasonably available metrics such as volume and delay as the key inputs. • Results will be sensitive to proposed improvements: • Infrastructure, or • Operational characteristics of POEs. • Be applicable across the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border.

24. QUESTIONS?

25. Thank You Sylvia Grijalva US/Mexico Border Planning Coordinator Federal Highway Administration 602- 510 7986 Sylvia.Grijalva@dot.gov