Transportation and Distribution Systems in the Inland Empire: The Impact of the Port Ensenada Proposal. Phase I

摘要

Over the last decades the Inland Empire has emerged as a global distribution center with over 700 million square feet of distribution and warehouses under roof. Along with this phenomenal growth, the transportation infrastructure of the region has become over burdened and highly congested. Adding to the growth and an infrastructure stretched thin is the ongoing arrival of super container ships at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. One proposal to lessen the pressure on the Southern California ports has been the expansion and redevelopment of Port Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Once a favored port of cruise ships, the port has embarked on moving from principally a passenger destination to becoming a global port facility. The overall focus of this study is to analyze the impact of Port Ensenada upon the Inland Empire by addressing identifiable consequences upon the transportation infrastructure including highway, rail, and shipping utilization and flow of goods in relation to existing and expected warehouses and distribution centers.