Truck Rerouting Study Shows Reduced Near-Road Diesel Particle Pollution in an Environmental Justice Community

Investigators from Sonoma Technology and UC Davis assessed pollution reduction benefits from a truck rerouting program near a San Diego port community. We evaluated policies to (a) reduce local diesel truck impacts resulting from goods movement activity at two port facilities and (b) simultaneously improve traffic operations in the communities of Barrio Logan in San Diego, California, and Old Town in National City, California. Before the truck rerouting, local impacts included air pollution, noise, decreased pedestrian safety, and congestion within and adjacent to the communities. These issues instigated the rerouting effort, the final implementation of which involved a permanent rerouting of all trucks weighing more than five tons.
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We completed a local-scale analysis of diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions in Barrio Logan. The results show that the mitigation significantly improved air quality in the primary affected corridor, resulting in a 99% reduction in DPM emissions and an 87% reduction in diesel truck vehicle miles traveled on a central arterial serving Barrio Logan. The study will help local planners<ul>
<li>Understand potential benefits of truck rerouting</li>
<li>Evaluate port-related goods movement emissions control programs</li>
<li>Understand local vs. regional-scale emissions trade-offs with corridor-level mitigation</li></ul>