JOANNA ALLHANDS

Allhands: 5 unexpected game-changers for how we travel

Joanna Allhands
opinion columnist
A fatal crash forced authorities to close the northbound lanes of Loop 101 near Scottsdale on Aug. 21, 2015.

Phoenix was built for the automobile, but will that still be the case in 2045?

A draft report from the U.S. Department of Transportation talks about the trends and challenges that could change how we get from Point A to Point B.

There are the usual suspects. Overburdened freeways, airports and ports cost us time and hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Shrinking funding sources have delayed basic maintenance on roads and bridges and delayed new high-speed transit routes.

And what about self-driving cars? Will anyone need a driver's license a few decades from now?

Other seemingly unrelated factors could change how we move people and stuff in the future. Here are five of the more surprising ones we culled from the report:

AMAZON

An employee separating products from trucks in a Phoenix-area fulfillment center. Amazon.com just announced it is offering tours to the public.

The online retailer has rolled out same-day delivery on some products. It also is testing grocery delivery services. That means as e-commerce grows – it accounted for 6.6 percent of all retail sales in 2014, up from 4 percent in 2009 – quick errands to the store or the mall could become a thing of the past. While that could take cars off streets and freeways, it will undoubtedly put more delivery trucks on the road, producing a whole new kind of congestion.

3-D PRINTING

3-D printer: An additive manufacturing process to create three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. Valley makers have used 3-D printing to make a life-sized, functional car, phone cases, prosthetic body parts and a chess set.

Like online shopping, 3-D printing is already starting to revolutionize how we make (and transport) things. Instead of ordering parts from huge manufacturers or specialized suppliers, businesses can make what they need on site. That will decentralize manufacturing, which, in turn, will change not only how and where we work – and how we commute – but also what kind of goods and raw materials will be sharing the road with the rest of us.

BIG DATA

The traffic camera showing east of Baseline Road on Interstate 10.

There are apps that tell you when to leave and the fastest route to take, but the technology has limitations. Those will lessen as we get more sophisticated at collecting and analyzing millions of traffic data points in real time. And it goes beyond that. Planners will use that data to set tolls based on congestion (yes, in the future, you’ll have to pay more often to use certain lanes during peak times) and to prioritize projects in line for scarce transportation dollars.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Cars were stuck in flood waters on Interstate 10 east at 43rd Ave. after monsoon rains flooded the freeway in Phoenix Sept. 8, 2014.

We usually think of carbon footprints and energy efficiency when we talk about climate change in transportation. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Our roads, subways and other transportation infrastructure weren’t designed to withstand more intense weather (case in point: the flooding that swallowed Interstate 10 last year after heavy rains overwhelmed pumps).

THE PANAMA CANAL

The expected completion of the Panama Canal expansion project in early 2016 will have minimal impact on trade flowing in and out of ports on the East and West coasts, according to an update that suggests little change in Arizona’s role as a route for truck and train shipments.

A project to widen and deepen the canal will make it easier for larger ships to pass, and that’s important for trade, considering that a majority of the cargo that passes through the canal originated in or is bound for the U.S.  The deeper canal is expected to increase traffic at already crowded West Coast ports – and could increase traffic on Arizona railways to move imports further inland.