The feasibility of a land ferry system to reduce highway maintenance cost and associated externalities

This study conducted an economic evaluation for a Land Ferry, which is a rail system capable of carrying trucks to reduce truck traffic on highways. The Land Ferry system proposed for the I-80 Corridor in northern Nevada involves a loading system to roll heavy trucks onto a flat bed. The evaluation for this system included (i) the design of a new track alignment over which the Land Ferry system would run, (ii) evaluation of our power, solar, wind, geothermal, and diesel sources, (iii) assessment of how many local jobs the Land Ferry would generate, and (iv) a benefit-cost analysis. By using a Regional Input-Output Modelling System, this study estimated that the Land Ferry would create over 45,788 temporary jobs in Nevada during the three-year construction period and 318 permanent jobs during operation. The majority of the benefits were attributed to savings in travel time ($356.4 M), vehicle operating costs ($1000.4 M), reduction of accidents ($544.6 M), and pavement maintenance ($503.2 M). These benefits would be a consequence of the shift of trucks from I-80. The overall benefit-cost ratio of 1.7 implies a cost-effective project.