Future Freight Could Travel Above Highways
Photo by Freight Shuttle International The future of freight transport in Texas could be above our heads.
A group at the Texas Transportation Institute of Texas A&M is suggesting a so-called “freight shuttle” that would run electric freight cars above the highway without a driver onboard. The design looks similar to the monorail system at Disneyworld.
The first proposed route would run over I-35 from San Antonio to Waxahachie, a town about 30 miles south of Dallas. It would cost about $2.5 billion and would take three years to construct.
Robert Harrison, director of the University of Texas Center for Transportation Research, says elevating the track will be expensive. Also, he said, the plan needs to include a processing port in Austin.
“We could actually not use I-35 at all, we could use 10 and then come up 130 and when it gets to Austin it could be unloaded and processed there,” Harrison said. “That inland port would provide jobs and we could have value added services. It would make things much better for freight transportation planning in the city.”
The people behind the project say it won’t cost tax payers a dime. They are seeking funding entirely from private companies.
