JFK International Airport faces significant congestion and inefficiency in truck-based cargo flows, generating private- and public-sector costs through extended wait times, fuel waste, and reduced throughput. The Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) at Rutgers University led a team including ESI and Cayuga Partners working for the GatewayJFK business improvement district to evaluate the potential benefits of technology solutions to improve cargo movement efficiency and develop a preliminary business case for investment.
The research team evaluated challenges and opportunities in cargo movement through JFK with a focus on technology best practices for optimizing truck movements and reducing wait times and congestion. ESI developed the business case from three analytical components:
- An assessment of current private- and public-sector losses attributable to inefficient cargo management;
- Scenario analysis of the potential benefits from technology-enabled improvement; and
- An evaluation of potential operating and governance models for implementing and managing an improved system.
Together, these components identified the economic case for investment and the governance conditions under which it could be realized.
The business case provided stakeholders with a structured framework for evaluating the return on investment from cargo management technology at JFK, quantifying the economic losses associated with the status quo and the potential gains from technology adoption. The findings offered a foundation for advancing dialogue among airport operators, cargo businesses, technology providers, and public agencies around a shared governance and investment structure for system improvement.
More information about the study is available at: https://cait.rutgers.edu/research/jfk-cargo-view-a-system-to-speed-truck-traffic-flow-at-jfk-airport/