Feasibility of Underground Freight Transportation (UFT) in Texas

Abstract

The U.S. economy is expected to double in size over the next 30 years. Truck and rail freight traffic is expected to increase by approximately 45 percent. Air freight is expected to triple in response to demand for the rapid movement of high-value merchandise, while multimodal shipments will likely double. Texas with a gross state product (GSP) of $1.4 trillion dollars is the second largest economy in the U.S. Its size and population, central location, Gulf coastline, and energy resources require a reliable freight transportation system to facilitate further growth. This thesis focuses on the feasibility of Underground Freight Transportation (UFT) to determine the role of UFT in addressing the growing demand for freight transportation in Texas. Underground Freight Transportation (UFT) is a process in which freight is transported in large capsules moving through underground pipelines. As concluded in this thesis, UFT reduces congestion and traffic jams on highways and streets, and increases highway safety by reducing the number of accidents caused by freight trucks, and also reduces highways maintenance costs. To conduct this research, in addition to a comprehensive literature search, a survey on the feasibility of Underground Freight Transportation was performed. The survey was sent to the professionals involved in design, engineering, planning, contracting and regulating freight transportation in the state of Texas. The results of this investigation showed that, due to expected increase in freight transportation in the next couple of decades, UFT can be used as a complementary method of freight transportation to reduce the increased traffic load caused by freight trucks on the road structure.