OTA Dispatch Issue 1 2020

17 www.ortrucking.org Issue 1 | 2020 Oregon Commercial Truck Parking Study (OCTPS) By Robin Marshburn, ODOT Project Manager for the OCTPS IT’S RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY and in Oregon that commercial truck drivers often cannot find safe and adequate parking for rest purposes. The Oregon Commercial Truck Parking Study is being conducted by ODOT and a consultant (WSP). The study kicked off in early 2019 and is analyzing parking issues on key freight corridors of the state and will help us determine where additional truck parking is needed and how we can address the problem. The study corridors consist of I-5, I-84, I-205, US97, US20 (east of Santiam Pass), OR58 and OR22. The Technical Advisory Committee for the study includes representatives from a wide range of national, statewide, and regional interests from both the private and public sectors. They are charged with reviewing and providing comments on various reports that will be used to develop the final study. This project will provide ODOT with strategies and recommendations that will address the parking shortages and thereby better serve the trucking industry and the overall economy in Oregon. The project team developed an inventory of the designated truck parking locations on the study corridors that includes approximately 60 private truck stops and 20 public rest areas. Roughly three-fourths of the parking spaces are located at truck stops. The project team also identfied the major locations of undesignated parking (parking at freeway ramps, shoulders, rest stop access roads, pullouts, weigh stations, and other areas). The project team conducted a stakeholder survey last year and received over 700 responses to the online and in-person survey on user opinions and information regarding truck parking at rest areas and private truck stops. Approximately 80% of those that took the survey are truck drivers. To the right are the key issues identified by the stakeholders. Weekday nights are the hardest time to find parking. Many survey respondents indicated it regularly takes them an hour or more to find parking in certain parts of the state. Drivers want to park close to their morning destination, however, urban growth has constrained parking availability. The study team estimated current and future demand for truck parking using a variety of sources including GPS truck data, video sessions and a truck parking app. The parking supply-demand analysis indicates that the current supply of truck parking in Oregon is reaching capacity in several parts of the state. Depending on the time of day and day of week, it can be difficult to find adequate parking with the desired amenities in some locations. The corridor segments with the least availability for parking are I-5 and I-84 near the Portland Metro area. The highest demands are at the truck stops. The 2040 parking supply-demand analysis for truck parking shows the problem will worsen. The forecast shows a shortfall of parking spaces on I-5 between Salem and Portland, I-5 between Roseburg and Eugene and I-84 between Portland and Troutdale. The project team is now in the process of developing recommendations and strategies for addressing truck parking issues including emerging technologies, such as real-time parking availability systems, creative use of right-of-way, public private partnerships, coalitions, outreach and other solutions. Potential funding sources will also be identified in the study. It is anticipated that the study will be completed in April 2020 with implementation to follow. For more detailed information about the study, please go to the ODOT webpage for this study: www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Projects/Pages/ Commercial-Truck-Parking-Study.aspx.