In 2001, 9.65 million 20-ft-equivalent units of containerized cargo moved through the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The ports are ranked third in the world in relation to containerized cargo, and first in the United States. Their existing throughput is expected to triple in the next 20 years. To adequately address the continued robust growth in international trade and corresponding cargo throughput, the ports have jointly prepared a transportation study. The study is the first comprehensive areawide analysis of the ports since the early 1980s and the first study that includes an integrated intermodal logistics analysis. In addition to logistics, the disciplines of transportation planning, traffic engineering, and civil engineering have been employed in the study. The ports transportation study includes detailed analyses of transportation system access in and immediately adjacent to the port area and a regional transportation system access analysis. The basic objectives of the study include the following: (a) determine port and nonport truck traffic growth, (b) develop transportation planning tools to address port growth, (c) identify existing and future transportation system deficiencies in and around the ports, and (d) recommend physical and operational improvements to mitigate future system deficiencies.
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