Infrastructure: Freeport, Houston, Jacksonville

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Two brand new post-Panamax cranes departed Shanghai May 7 for Port Freeport (TX), where they are due to arrive in July. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has permitted construction of the Port of Houston Authority's Bayport and Barbours Cut channel improvement projects and approved the federal assumption of maintenance of the channels once construction is completed. Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL), Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and a host of other federal, state and local leaders on May 12 gathered for a golden spike ceremony to mark the start of construction on the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at Dames Point.

New Cranes Set Sail for Port Freeport

Two brand new post-Panamax cranes departed Shanghai May 7 for Port Freeport (TX), where they are due to arrive in July.

Costing approximately $14 million apiece, each crane stands approximately 300 feet high, measures 80 feet wide can lift up to 75 tons and can span 18 rows of containers. The pair will occupy a portion of Berth 7 at the port’s new Velasco Terminal and are excepted to be operational by around September 1.

"These cranes will allow the port to continue to support our current container carrier customers through increased marine productivity and to attract new services opening new markets from Port Freeport for the petrochemical industry in the Brazoria County region," said Port Director Glenn Carlson. "We are excited and anxiously await their arrival to Port Freeport."

Ship carrying Port Freeport’s new container cranes.
Photo/Port Freeport

Corps Issues Dredging Permits for Houston’s Bayport, Barbours Cut Channels

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has permitted construction of the Port of Houston Authority's Bayport and Barbours Cut channel improvement projects and approved the federal assumption of maintenance of the channels once construction is completed.

The improvements will deepen the channels from 40 feet to 45 feet, matching the depth of the Houston Ship Channel. The project will also widen or realign the channels by 100 feet or more to better accommodate larger ships that the port is expecting will call with increasing frequency.

The port authority has since awarded the $68 million construction contract and expects construction and dredging to begin shortly. The work includes modification of the existing Bayport and Barbours Cut channels and berths and increasing the capacity of a placement area for future dredged material.

"PHA is pleased that we will be awarding a contract at an excellent, competitive price," said Executive Director Roger Guenther. "Overall, the project has really progressed at a quick pace. The federal approval of assumption of maintenance, which means the Corps of Engineers will resume responsibility for the channel after PHA's improvements, was a great team effort between the Corps and PHA on a complicated process that has taken only 18 months."

The port authority is funding the projects at its sole cost to ensure the channels improvements are available as soon as possible. The work is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2015.

Golden Spike Ceremony Marks Start Of Construction on JAXPORT Rail Terminal

Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL), Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and a host of other federal, state and local leaders on May 12 gathered for a golden spike ceremony to mark the start of construction on the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at Dames Point.

The ICTF, which will provide on-dock rail service to JAXPORT’s North Jacksonville marine terminals, is expected to be operational in late 2015 and will complement existing on-dock rail facilities at the Blount Island Marine Terminal. The port authority says the ICTF will enhance the competitiveness of Blount Island and the TraPac Container Terminal at Dames Point by facilitating the direct transfer of containers between vessels and trains, speeding up the shipment process and reducing the number of trucks on the road.

"What we are marking here today is one more milestone toward maximizing the benefits of the public assets entrusted to us," said Port Authority Chairman Joe York. "We are building on an already outstanding transportation system that supports Florida’s role as a gateway for international trade into and out of the Sunshine State and the Southeast US. We are capitalizing on the recognition and investment we receive from our federal government, as a port of importance to the nation’s health and economic well-being."

The project’s $30 million budget is supported by state and federal funding, including a $10 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and a $20 million allocation by Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Transportation.

"Once up and running, this facility will enhance our ability to generate jobs and prosperity for our fellow citizens," said Mr. York. "The benefits are clear: faster movement of goods in a supply chain seeking ever more time efficiency, the environmentally friendly vision of fewer trucks on our roads and a clear competitive advantage that JAXPORT, our tenants and customers will market to the world."

The ceremonial driving of the first rail spikes for JAXPORT’s ICTF.
Photo/ JAXPORT, Meredith Fordham Hughes