Presentation by Amy Kessler, North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, at the Freight Partnership V meeting, July 31, 2013 in Washington, DC

1. Amy Kessler: North Central Pennsylvania RPO
Freight Partnership V Meeting – July 31, 2013
Washington, DC

2. The Appalachian Region: 200,000
square-mile region that follows the spine
of the Appalachian Mountains from
southern New York to northern Mississippi
Pennsylvania:
44,816.61 Square-miles

3. North Central RPO
• Sq. Mi - 5,100
• Pop -224,000
• 43 people per sq. mi.
• Roughly the size of the
state of Connecticut

4. Success: An opportunity to encourage and link Land Use –
Transportation and Economic Development Decision-Making
Challenges Faced?
Planning is typically done in silos Private Sector Confidentiality
Public Perspectives Fear of the unknown

5. DuBois Intermodal Facility – A Public-Private Project Success Story
Partnership between:
North Central
PennDOT
Township
Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad
First/Last Mile Issues:
• Intersection geometry/control
• Poor turning radii
• Congestion/choke points
BEFORE:
2 Major Freight Corridors

6. BEFORE:
DuBois Intermodal Facility – A Public-Private Project Success Story
Getting truck access to the site:
• Rural – 2 lane roadway
• No intersection signal control
• Poor truck turning movements

7. DuBois Intermodal Facility – A Public-Private Project Success Story
Canadian National (CN)
lumber reload center
opened on October 1, 2005
Fully Operational and at
Capacity. Looking for
additional land to expand
All “external’ infrastructure
improvements have been
made
Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ)
AFTER:

8. AFTER:
DuBois Intermodal Facility – A Public-Private Project Success Story
Road improvements made by
PennDOT and North Central RPO
• Roadway widening
• Turning Lane
• Signalized intersection
• Railroad crossing improvement
Improvements made by Buffalo &
Pittsburgh Railroad
• Internal roads
• Rail sidings

9. DuBois Intermodal Facility – A Public-Private Project Success Story
• The site provides
Intermodal Solutions
to companies
throughout the
region
• Provide discounted
backhaul freight
rates and economic
incentives for
shippers moving
freight to the west. Oil & Gas Piping – Marcellus Shale Industry

10. DuBois Intermodal Facility - A Public-Private Project Success Story
DuBois Intermodal Facility – Construction Grade Lumber. Railroad Ties and Pipe
• The DuBois location is within reach of several major markets including Pittsburgh,
Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York and New Jersey

11. Questions?
A hundred years after we are gone and forgotten, those who never heard of us
will be living with the results of our actions.
- Oliver Wendell Homes, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

12. AMY KESSLER
651 MONTMORENCI ROAD
RIDGWAY, PA 15853
AMY@NCENTRAL.COM
Thank you
@NorthCentralRPO