Environmental Philosophy, Spring 2008
Second Midterm: Environmental Justice
Lawton Freight Transportation Corridor Proposal
In order to improve transportation and comply with federal funding requirements, the City of Lawton is considering designating one of three routes as a Freight Transportation Corridor that will move 80% of truck traffic from I-44 to the industrial areas west of Lawton. This will involve limiting cross traffic across these routes to no more than one crossing per half-mile (closing streets if necessary), and expanding street width to 100 feet and 5 lanes where they are not so already (acquiring land by eminent domain if necessary).
Three environmental issues are of special concern:
Total pollution. Lengthening the distance traveled by trucks will increase total air pollution in Lawton.
Localized pollution. 50% of pollution generated will, in average weather conditions, stay within 1 km of the freight corridor for 24 hours.
Hazardous materials accidents. Overall, there is a 25% chance of a hazardous materials accident caused by trucks moving through Lawton occurring each year. This risk will be concentrated along the selected route.
Environmental effects of each route's selection are as follows (freight and non-freight routes are in comparison to current traffic patterns):
|
|
Route Info |
Freight Route |
Non-freight Route |
|||||
|
|
Length |
New Land |
Cost |
Total |
Local |
Hazardous |
Local |
Hazardous |
|
Rogers |
13.6 |
10 |
3.4 |
-3.1% |
433.3% |
166.7% |
-66.7% |
-66.7% |
|
Lee |
14.5 |
0 |
1 |
1.3% |
33.3% |
33.3% |
-83.3% |
-83.3% |
|
Baseline |
17.0 |
100 |
32 |
13.6% |
700.0% |
700.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
Populations affected by the routes are shown in the following maps. Shaded areas represent a 1 km area around the route.
