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Border Region Long-Range Planning

North American Transportation Corridor Network

Sponsor: Southwest University Transportation Center, in progress

Although trade flows across the U.S., Mexico and Canada have increased substantially since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a true international trade corridor concept has not been addressed at the North American level. The North American Transportation Corridor Network can be divided into two types of networks. The first is a transportation infrastructure network that spans across the three North American countries, including highways, railroads and ports of entry, all of which are part of a large intermodal transportation network. The second is a research network that is a collection and collaboration of organizations, individuals and research with the goal of improving transportation in North America. By creating a North American Transportation Corridor Plan for all three NAFTA countries, valuable resources could be properly allocated and coordinated to improve international transportation. This project identifies these efforts and provides a website where information will be posted for increased collaboration.

For More Information:
Juan Carlos Villa
ph. (979) 862-3382 · fax (979) 845-6008
j-villa@tamu.edu

Mexico Master Plan for Multimodal Corridors

Sponsor: Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Mexico, in progress

In the last decade since the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico's foreign trade has more than doubled, from $156 billion in U.S. dollars, to $386 billion. This growth in trade has helped stimulate economic growth in Mexico at an annual average rate of 3.6 percent. However, the growth in freight movements has place constraints on existing transportation facilities. To improve the competitiveness of supply chains located within Mexico by decreasing transportation costs and increasing connectivity, reliability and accessibility, this project seeks to develop a master plan of multi-modal corridors within the country to improve the overall transportation infrastructure.

For More Information:
Juan Carlos Villa
ph. (979) 862-3382 · fax (979) 845-6008
j-villa@tamu.edu

Texas International Trade Corridor Plan Update

Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation, 2006

In this report, TTI provided recommendations to the Texas Department of Transportation to facilitate international trade, including alternatives to improve border crossings and transportation corridors, as well as financing and investment initiatives. The plan included the development and application of the methodology to define trade routes and mode assignments of current and forecasted international trade within Texas corridors and coordination of these efforts with Mexico.

Publication

Texas International Trade Corridor Plan Update PDF document - For best results, view PDF files with the most recent version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader
(December 2006)

For More Information:
Juan Carlos Villa
ph. (979) 862-3382 · fax (979) 845-6008
j-villa@tamu.edu

Analysis of U.S.-Mexico Border Trade Targets for Short-Sea Shipping

Sponsor: Gulf Ports Association of the Americas, 2006

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of diverting U.S.-Mexico freight traffic from land transportation to a short-sea-shipping operation in the Gulf of Mexico to help alleviate trade traffic in the land-based networks, thereby saving money and increasing on-time delivery. The initial phase of the study indicates there is opportunity for developing this concept in several shipping zones, but further research is needed to determine the feasibility of this approach.

highway network
For More Information:
Juan Carlos Villa
ph. (979) 862-3382 · fax (979) 845-6008
j-villa@tamu.edu

Cross-Border Transportation and Infrastructure Report

Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation, 2006

This report recommends strategies and projects to support international trade with Mexico, including streamlining vehicle safety inspection processes and establishing a monitoring system to evaluate effectiveness. The report recommends a safety inspection express lane program, similar to the federal FAST program, which would expedite the border crossing process by using a pre-clearance system to reduce unnecessary stops for trucks complying with safety regulations, beginning with a pilot project. Once the express lane system is evaluated and fine-tuned, ports of entry could be retrofitted to accommodate the new technologies.

Publication

Cross-Border Transportation and Infrastructure Report PDF document - For best results, view PDF files with the most recent version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader
(December 2006)

For More Information:
Juan Carlos Villa
ph. (979) 862-3382 · fax (979) 845-6008
j-villa@tamu.edu

Border Transportation Studies Review

Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation, 2005

The objective of this project was to summarize a decade of commercial border transportation crossing studies and identify the status of recommended improvements or changes from each study. The project included a brief description of the northbound commercial border crossing, the recently implemented security programs at the border, and the status of the opening of the border to Mexican trucks. The study concluded that progress has been made in the last decade to improve the commercial border crossing process. However, three areas of improvement were identified during the analysis: the need for a common data information system, improved interagency coordination and increased binational cooperation.

Publication

Border Transportation Studies Review PDF document - For best results, view PDF files with the most recent version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader
(August 2005)

For More Information:
Juan Carlos Villa
ph. (979) 862-3382 · fax (979) 845-6008
j-villa@tamu.edu

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