Transportation Planning

BKI was retained to document the accessibility of the Harvey Canal to the Gulf of Mexico via several all-water routes, especially for large offshore drilling and production platforms, and to delineate locations where restrictions to this access may be caused by man-made structures.

BKI was contracted by the Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission to prepare a corridor development plan for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), using the FRA’s Corridor Planning Guidance Manual, for the design and implementation of high-speed passenger rail service in the designated Gulf Coast High-Speed Rail Corridor between Lake Charles, LA and Meridian, MS. 

The project was to upgrade existing freight rail lines to accept more frequent and faster passenger trains while not negatively impacting existing and projected future freight rail traffic. Project components included rail operations planning and ridership/revenue projections for initial service and for twenty years into the future. This required train performance calculations, and simulation modeling. BKI’s role was to coordinate the specialized disciplines involved in the project and to edit and produce the reports.

BKI was contracted by the Alabama Department of Transportation - Bureau of Multimodal Transportation, to produce the 2001 Alabama Rail Plan Update. The plan was a component of the Alabama Statewide Transportation Plan.

BKI documented how the 28 existing railroads have reacted to changing market dynamics, innovative technology, and societal expectations over the past decade. Several trends, such as corporate mergers and acquisitions, line abandonments, and intermodalism were identified as causes of change in Alabama’s rail industry, which hauls over 93.5 million tons of cargo annually over 4,700 miles of active railroad tracks and generates over $280 million in revenues.

BKI prepared an inventory of Alabama’s operating railroads, contacting each directly to gather current information as to their location and use. This resulted in the compilation of the 2001 Alabama Rail Directory – the first ever in state history. The directory was then disseminated to manufacturers and shippers, economic development agencies, local and regional governments, and citizens with an interest in railroads in an effort to promote the industry and develop new outlets.