Multi-Modalism Outside My Fence

All airport trips begin and end with surface transportation, including:

• Auto and transit trips for business, tourist, and personal travel
• Truck trips for air freight (freight rail connections are possible but far less prevalent than auto)

Strategies to better integrate an airport with other connecting surface modes can help support regional economic activity in a number of ways:

• Reduce the cost of airport access for area businesses: Efficient connections between an airport and its regional transportation network minimize costs (both out of pocket and time) associated with business travel and goods movement, thus improving competitiveness for area businesses in the national and global market. Connectivity can also provide the opportunity for just-in-time delivery practices for regional suppliers (shipping) and manufacturers (receiving).
• Improve a region’s competitive position for a variety of location decisions: Convenience of airport access is one of many factors in location decisions of airport-reliant businesses, groups looking to locate conferences or conventions, and tourists considering multiple vacation destinations.
• Support freight and logistics activities: Certain airports with large-scale air cargo operations can become the focus of multi-modal districts that include a variety of industries involved in goods movement and storage including warehousing, handling, truck transportation, and third-party logistics management. Rail/intermodal surface transfers may be included but it is not common. Sometimes referred to as “logistics clusters,” these districts concentrate freight activities and increase productivity through agglomeration economies.

The key variables that describe an airport’s accessibility are travel time, travel time reliability, cost, and availability of ground-access modes (bus, rail, freeway, etc.). An airport’s need for surface transportation connections will vary by the size and location of the airport. In large urban areas, congestion can pose a significant challenge for both passengers and freight seeking airport access. In this context, public transportation access with dedicated right-of-way (e.g. rail or bus-rapid-transit) can be a strategic part of the airport accessibility solution. Parking and last-mile connections to the highway or local road network are also important.

Additionally, access needs will vary by the type of airport user. People who live or work in the airport region will be more familiar with local transit or have personal mobility options such as a car. Visitors, on the other hand, are dependent on car rentals, taxis, or public transportation, but also may be traveling to a more limited set of destinations (e.g. central business districts, major attractions). Successful airport access planning will address both user perspectives.

Airports have no direct authority over the planning and development of surface transportation systems outside airport property. Because of this, surface transportation agencies are critical partners—i.e. the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the State Department of Transportation. Intermodal airport access projects are most successful when they support economic development in the airport area and meet wider transportation needs, in addition to enhancing ground access to the airport. An important first step is to learn about and engage with the surface transportation planning process. For more information, refer to My Airport as an Intermodal Hub under the Take Action section.