Curious how online purchases are delivered? Or what routes trucks take through the city? Interested in the impact local industries have on our economy? Well, you’re in luck. This month the city kicked-off its first ever Freight Master Plan (FMP). The announcement was made at the June Seattle Freight Advisory Board meeting to applause and cheers. The plan will address the unique characteristics, needs, and impacts of freight mobility. It will help us understand why freight is so important to the city and the region, examine the challenges to moving freight, and develop solutions to addressing these challenges.
The plan itself will include an existing conditions report to give us a sense of the current state of freight. We will then develop a policy framework to help guide the vision for freight mobility and identify near- and long-term improvements , design guidelines, and a data-driven implementation strategy. The plan will also consider how the freight network could be updated based on where trucks are actually traveling and in relation to other transportation modes and priorities.
We will be working closely with the freight community this summer and begin broader community engagement this fall. We anticipate completing the plan by fall 2015. Learn more at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/freight.htm, or contact Sara Zora at (206) 733-9973 or sara.zora@seattle.gov.