Saturday, November 9, 2024

NC Port Authority revamping rail yard and terminal entrance, a $50M project to boost efficiency

The Port of Wilmington is relocating its north entrance and introducing a new rail yard, aiming to expand its operational capacity. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)

NEW HANOVER COUNTY— Soon trucks traveling to the Port of Wilmington from the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge will have a new route.

READ MORE: NC Ports receives $11 million grant to move North Gate

North Carolina Ports Authority is upgrading its general cargo terminal with two projects: a new terminal entrance and rail yard. The $50 million in upgrades will boost efficiency and handle growth 

The North Gate Relocation and Access Optimize project enhances and relocates the current north entrance from 1870 Burnett Boulevard to the riverside end of Greenfield Street. The effort could reduce traffic congestion and truck delays at the nearby railway crossing. 

The Intermodal Rail Yard project adds 5,000 feet of dedicated area for loading and offloading container trains, at the container terminal, tripling the port’s annual container handling capacity. 

“We’re making a lot of construction infrastructure activities to be able to increase the capacity on our port,” Stephanie Ayer, the NC Port Authority’s director of real estate and planning, said at the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization May 29 board meeting. “So that we can have higher volumes and velocities moving through the ports.” 

Currently, trucks travel to the north gate, passing by South Front Apartments, Satellite, and True Blue Butcher and Barrel, ending directly across from the Sunset Park neighborhood. The new entrance will create closer terminal access to the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and major highways. According to the NC Port Authority,  it will permit trucks to complete their route through the port’s property on an internal road, eliminating a little under a mile of travel on South Front Street, a heavily trafficked and residential trek. 

A new gate, badging office, cargo control and security buildings, 4,000 feet of elevated roadway, and necessary major utility infrastructure — bridges, culverts, and parking lots — will be a part of the new entrance. The project will also incorporate new electrical, storm, communication, and lighting infrastructure, along with solar backup power and electric vehicle charging stations. The port is also working on adding 6,000 additional linear feet of railroad storage near the new gate.

Though construction hasn’t begun on the new entrance, environmental and design plans are underway. The projected cost of the entrance is close to $26.8 million, with 38% funded by an $11-million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Provided through the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) of the U.S. Maritime Administration, the grant aims to improve safety, efficiency, and reliability at U.S. ports. The remaining cost of the project will be covered by the Port Authority.

A port’s spokesperson said once construction begins it will take about two years to finish after the USDOT signs off on it. 

Last month, construction began on the rail yard — a $23 million project. Around 80% of the project is funded by an $18-million grant the Port Authority received in April from the USDOT’s RAISE grant program. The remaining cost will be covered by the Port Authority.

The rail yard will allow the port to encounter 36,000 more rail movements than its current 14,000 capacity. The spokesperson added the rail yard would redirect around 250,000 container boxes from being transported by trucks to rail within the next 10 years.

“The project will promote the competitiveness of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors of the region by improving freight mobility and efficiencies and increased visibility into the supply chain,” a spokesperson wrote in an email. 

The major shift in trucks to rail will have positive environmental effects as well, according to the ports: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, enhancing climate resilience, and overall lessening pollution.

The rail yard is part of the ongoing efforts by the Port Authority to expand railroad services.

In 2017, following a 30-year pause, the Port Authority initiated a direct route from the Port of Wilmington to the Charlotte inland port. Known as the “Queen City Express,” this train operates daily, enabling more shipments to be transported quickly and reducing travel costs.

In 2021, the Port Authority announced the “Midwest Express,” a train route that connects the Port of Wilmington to Chicago, Northwest Ohio, and St, Louis, through the Rocky Mount rail terminal. It is operated by CSX intermodal transportation. 

In 2023, the Port Authority launched a new service that operates weekly trips to deepwater and inland ports in Central America. This route covers Santo Tomas in Guatemala, Puerto Cortes in Honduras, San Salvador in El Salvador, and Managua in Nicaragua. These ports are crucial for apparel and textile supply chains, as well as for transporting refrigerated cargo, including fresh produce.

[Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated the 6,000 additional feet in railroad storage was apart of the Intermodal Rail Yard. It is a separate project. PCD regrets the error.]


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