Intermodal Briefs: SC Ports, Port of Los Angeles
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
Screenshot Courtesy of SC Ports, via YouTube
Construction is under way at South Carolina Port Authority's (SC Ports) Navy Base Intermodal Facility. Also, the Port of Los Angeles’ Alameda Corridor Terminus Gap Closure project is recognized as a top regional transportation improvement project by the American Public Works Association Southern California Chapter.
SC Ports announced Dec. 14 that more than a year after groundbreaking, construction is under way at its Navy Base Intermodal Facility.
According to SC Ports, the near-dock, rail-served cargo yard, which is made possible by $550 million in state funding, will help speed goods to market and enhance port capacity and service when it opens in July 2025.
Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX will both serve the intermodal yard, creating a direct connection between SC Ports’ port terminals in Charleston and rail-served inland ports in Greer and Dillon, as well as to markets in the Southeast and Midwest.
The facility, SC Ports says, will have 78,000 linear feet of railroad track, as well as six rail-mounted gantry cranes, which will move containers on and off CSX and NS trains. A one-mile dedicated drayage road will be used to truck cargo to and from Leatherman Terminal, and a future barge will transport containers between the Leatherman and Wando Welch terminals.
With a one million lift capacity and the ability to handle more than 14,000-foot trains, the new rail-served cargo yard, SC Ports says, “will efficiently move goods between the Port of Charleston and inland markets, greatly enhancing supply chain fluidity and reliability on the U.S. East Coast.”
“We are so grateful for our state’s support to ensure we have the capacity and capabilities needed for our customers,” said SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin. “Our state’s investment will help port-dependent businesses be successful, which will create jobs in communities around the state.”
Additionally, SC Ports says it is also investing to expand Inland Port Greer to enable it to handle longer trains and 50% more cargo. SC Ports’ rail-served inland ports continue to perform “incredibly well” month after month. Inland Ports Greer and Dillon handled a combined 19,232 containers in November, a 48% increase from last year.
Container volumes were tempered in November, with empty exports driving the year-over-year decline, according to SC Ports, which reported handling 201,314 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and 111,025 pier containers, down nearly 6% year-over-year.
SC Ports says it had a “very strong” November for vehicles, with 21,821 vehicles rolling across its docks last month. Vehicles are up 16% fiscal-year-to-date.
“As an operating port, we provide high productivity, great service and flexible solutions for our customers in the growing Southeast market,” Melvin said.
The Port of Los Angeles on Dec. 14 announced that its $17.3 million Alameda Corridor Terminus Gap Closure project, which was completed in 2022, has won the American Public Works Association Southern California Chapter B.E.S.T. Award for a regional transportation project.
The project entailed construction and modification of 5,000 feet of mainline railway track, helping to eliminate a gap in rail access between the Port’s West Basin area and the Alameda Corridor, and reduce delays in trains serving several terminals. Griffith Company served as the contractor on the project.
The Port’s Wilmington Waterfront Promenade was also recognized at both the 53rd Annual Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) Architectural Awards ceremony as a winner in the “Under Construction” category and the Urban Westside Forum’s 2023 design awards ceremony last month as a project “demonstrating excellence in city making and community building.”
“These infrastructure initiatives are important elements in the Port’s broader efforts to enhance the overall quality of life for Wilmington residents and foster a healthier and more sustainable community,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Congratulations to the Port’s Engineering and Construction teams for their exceptional work on these projects.”
