Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

Of particular significance to the developm ent of the City ’s TSP are the policies related to identify ing barriers to efficient freight m ovem ent, and improvi ng access to interm odal and/or other significant freight facilities (particularly the airport, truck stops, a nd m ajor truck generating businesses). Developm ent, maintenance and im provem ent of c ontinuous connections between freight generators and inter-regional routes, such as Interstate 5 and Highway 62 are of key importance. The City ’s existing Comprehensive Plan identifies the general need to assure “ maximum mobility for all Medford residents” and to “facilitate the safe movement of int er-neighborhood vehicular traffic within and through the community, consistent with adjacent land use requirements” but does not specifically address freight m obility . These general goal statem ents were reviewed and m odified as appropriate during the developm ent of the TSP. New goals, polic ies and im plem entation strategies are included in Chapter 13. Needs and Deficiencies Chapter 3 of the TSP includes an analy sis of the ex isting truck freight sy stem and current deficiencies with that sy stem . Much of this inform ation was obtained from studies conducted by the RVMPO during preparation of the 2001-2023 Rogue Valley Regional Transportation Plan , in particular the on-going Rogue Valley Freight Study . This study includes an assessm ent of current freight practices in the Rogue Valley area for highway s, railway s, air transportati on and pipelines. It addresses interm odal connectors and facilities, principal m anufacturing facilities, warehouses and distribution centers. It identifies principal transportation providers in the region and the nature of the services that they provide. The study also addresses current strengths and weaknesses with th e freight m obility system in the greater Medford area, and suggests opportunities for im provem ent. As indicated in the RVMPO’ s freight-related studies, one of the greatest assets of the region is its central location on the west coast that results in it being an interm ediate stopping point for long-distance freight movem ent. The area also benefits from Oregon law that perm its triple trailers. As triples are not perm itted in California, the Medford area has becom e a hub of trucking activity partly because southbound trucks m ust drop a trailer before enteri ng California, while northbound trucks heading into Oregon can add a trailer. Additionally , because of its location and relative isolation from other large urban centers, Medford has becom e a distribution hub from southern Oregon and northern California. According to the Rogue Valley Freight Study , the num ber of freight and freight-related com panies in the Medford area is high. For exam ple, there are at least 54 com panies in the area engaged in trucking and/or transportation brokering. The Oregon Employment Departm ent’s repor t 2000 Regional Econom ic Profile, indicates that there was a 36 percent increase in the num ber of jobs in the Transportation and Public Utilities sector in the area between 1990 and 2000. Most of these jobs were in trucking. The 1999 ODOT publication “Freight Moves the Oregon Econom y” notes that every 100 jobs in Oregon’s transportation-dependent business sect ors generate 85 to 154 additional jobs. Transportation-related sectors include m anufacturing, transportation, com munication, public utilities and wholesale trade. Based on the Oregon Em ployment Departm ent’s 2001 data, a to tal of 14,500 (19.4% of the labor force) were employed in Jackson County in these sectors. Using the multipliers identified above, the 14,500 transportation-related jobs translates into a range of between 12,325 a nd 22,330 additional jobs. The freight transportation sy stem consists of streets and highway s where the dem and for access and circulation by large vehicles is expected to be the highest. The foundation of this sy stem are the critical “backbone” routes identified by the Federal Highway Adm inistration as the National Highway System . National Highway System Routes are intended to include the most significant highway s in the United States for the m ovem ent of people and freight. Within the Medford UGB, this sy stem includes Interstate 5, Highway 62 and Highway 99. Most truck traffic in the region and the state m oves on the National Highway System . In addition, the 1999 Oregon Highway Plan designated a State Highway Freight Medford Transportatio n System Plan 6-2 Freight Plan