Collaborative Funding to Facilitate Airport Ground Access

Abstract:

This report presents the findings and conclusions from a research study that has examined the challenges of funding airport ground access projects and the role of collaborative funding strategies between the different agencies that typically become involved in such projects. The report reviews the recent literature on funding airport ground access projects, as well as funding transportation projects more generally. This is followed by a detailed review of current federal transportation funding programs relevant to airport ground access projects, as well as a discussion of state and local funding programs and potential opportunities for private-sector funding.

A major component of the research described in the report consists of detailed case studies of seven selected airport ground access projects, including a major intermodal center, two automated people-mover projects, two airport access highway projects, and two airport rail links. These case studies examine the history of each project, the costs involved, and the funding programs and mechanisms used to finance the projects.

Based on the literature review, the review of current funding programs, and the case study findings, the report identifies potential funding strategies for intermodal airport ground access projects, requirements for effective implementation of these strategies, and a recommended approach to facilitate successful project development and implementation. The report also presents recommended changes to transportation funding program rules and regulations that could facilitate and simplify development of intermodal solutions to future airport ground access needs.

Case Studies:

Publications:

Collaborative Funding to Facilitate Airport Ground Access (1.6MB)

Research Brief (451K)

Authors:

GEOFFREY D. GOSLING, PhD

Geoffrey D. Gosling has been a Research Associate with the Mineta Transportation Institute for six years. He is also the principal and founder of Aviation System Consulting, LLC, in Berkeley. He has more than 30 years of experience as a transportation consultant, researcher, and academic, and has been a consultant and expert witness in the areas of airport planning, aviation system planning, aviation safety, and airline economics to a wide range of government and other clients. From 1979 to March 2002 he was a member of the research staff of the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) at the University of California, Berkeley, and helped establish the National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research (NEXTOR), serving as its first program manager. In addition to his research with the Mineta Transportation Institute, he has undertaken research on airport ground access with the California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) at UC Berkeley. Dr. Gosling received Master of Science (1975), Master of Engineering (1976), and PhD (1979) degrees in Civil Engineering (transportation) from the University of California, Berkeley. He was an Assistant Professor in the transportation engineering program at UC Berkeley for several years and continues to teach through the NEXTOR short course and ITS Technology Transfer programs.

WENBIN WEI, PhD

Dr. Wenbin Wei has been with the College of Engineering at San José State University since 2003. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aviation and Technology, and also an affiliated professor in the Department of Industrial and System Engineering. Currently he is the Director of the Human Automation Integration Lab (HAIL), and also a Research Associate with the Mineta Transportation Institute. He received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 2000, majoring in Transportation Engineering and Management, with minors in Economics and Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. He received an M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University in 1995, with a concentration in Computer Aided Engineering and Management. Before joining the faculty at San José State University, Dr. Wei worked as a postdoctoral researcher at both the California PATH program and the NEXTOR aviation research center from 2000 to 2001. He was a research analyst in the Department of Operations Research and Decision Support at American Airlines from 2001 to 2003. Dr. Wei’s main research and teaching interests include: transportation planning, urban transportation, public transportation, air traffic control and management, airline operations and management, airport planning and management, logistics and supply chain management.

DENNIS FREEMAN, MUP

Dennis Freeman has been a research assistant for the Mineta Transportation Institute since August 2009. He pursued his Master of Urban Planning degree at San José State University immediately after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Humboldt State University. He has worked as a digital cartographer for a community based magazine, a GIS analyst for the County of San Mateo and is currently a crime prevention specialist for a non-profit in Oakland, California.

Published:

June 2012

Keywords:

Airport ground access

Intermodal facilities

Transportation project funding

Federal

State

Local funding programs

Public-private partnerships