HCPHC Unveils RESTORE Dock at Port Bienville
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
The new RESTORE Dock at Port Bienville Industrial Park includes two short line track extensions. (HCPHC photo)
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, U.S. Congressman Steven Palazzao, local officials and industry representatives joined on Oct. 12 at Port Bienville Industrial Park in Bay St. Louis, Miss., to cut the ribbon on a new maritime dock and railroad facility, known as the RESTORE DOCK, which will be used to move about 480,000 tons of material across Port Bienville’s public and private docks each year.
The $8.8 million project, which is the fifth public dock in Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission’s (HCPHC) portfolio, is part of a 35-acre parcel on the industrial canal at Port Bienville and includes two Port Bienville Shortline Railroad track extensions to serve the dock with rail-to-barge intermodal operations and improved access roads for truck and other vehicle traffic. Two additional docks are owned by industrial tenants at the port.
The project, which was funded by a $7.4 million RESTORE Act grant in 2017, also includes a 600-foot bulkhead with a 40-foot apron that can accommodate three barges for loading and unloading, as well as a 250-foot crushed stone laydown yard that extends from the apron for operations and storage. An additional $510,000 in funding came from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s GOMESA program. HCPHC contributed the remaining $870,000.
The construction project was awarded to Gill’s Crane and Dozer Service, Inc., of Slidell, La., for $7.4 million. Notice to proceed work was issued in May 2021.
According to HCPHC, the RESTORE Dock is part of a 35-acre parcel on the industrial canal at Port Bienville. With maritime, rail and road access, the intermodal facility could support transload operations, bulk material handling, liquid transfer and warehousing for import/export businesses.
“HCPHC is committed to growing economic opportunities,” said CEO Bill Cotter. “Thanks to the support of federal, state and local partners, this infrastructure investment will support business operations and continued growth of our maritime business.”
“HCPHC continues to invest for the future of Hancock County,” Cotter added. “Our industrial assets provide the logistical solutions that allow existing tenants to expand and attract new businesses to the area.”
According to HCPHC, Port Bienville, with its 12-foot-deep industrial canal, provides access to the Intracoastal Waterway via the Pearl River. Connecting Port Bienville to CSX, Port Bienville Railroad boasts 17 miles of track and processes more than 8,000 loaded railcars a year. The industrial park is home to 16 companies employing nearly 700 people.
