Port Road Construction And Bayport Terminal

The main entrance for Bayport Container Terminal lies off Port Road. One project we’re working on is expanding Port Road from 4 to 6 lanes between Highway 146 and the Bayport Container Terminal bridge. In addition to the road expansion, it will also improve necessary drainage facilities for Port Road along with drainage for the 95-acre tract of Port Houston-owned property.

The Port was awarded $9.675 million in grant funding through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Texas Mobility Fund. This specific fund from TxDOT provides a method of financing for the construction, reconstruction, acquisition and expansion of Texas state highways and roads. The funds help pay for a portion of the larger project which will cost close to $18.9 million in total.

The first phase of the Bayport Container Terminal opened in 2007 and is now about 50% complete. When fully developed, it will have a total of 7 container berths with the capacity to handle 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The terminal will include 376 acres of container yard and a 123-acre intermodal facility. Adding an inbound and outbound lane to Port Road will make a tremendous difference in freight efficiency.

Barbours Cut Blvd Construction and BCT Terminal

Port Houston handles roughly 70 percent of the containers that move through the Gulf of Mexico and is the 6^th largest container port in the nation. Barbours Cut was our original container terminal which opened in 1977 and has seen some big improvements over the years as well.

Barbours Cut Terminal’s most recent project involves intersection improvements at Barbours Cut Blvd and SH-146. This is the main intersection in front of the terminal which sees a lot of transportation traffic each day. With this enhancement there will be 2 additional northbound right-turn lanes from Barbours Cut Blvd onto SH-146. Additionally, traffic signals will be improved to facilitate freight fluidity and air quality.

This is a minor project completely funded and reconstructed by the TxDOT approximately costing $500,000 dollars. It started in July 2020 and is projected to be finished later this month or early next month.

Barbours Cut features 6 container berths, 6,000 feet of continuous dock space, 230 acres of paved marshaling area, and 255,000 square feet of warehouse space. Additionally, there’s a roll-on/roll-off platform, a LASH dock, and an Intermodal rail service with dock-to-rail connection servicing. Today the terminal is undergoing a modernization program to increase cargo handling efficiency and capacity from 1.2 million TEUs to 2 million TEUs when completed.

The amount of cargo coming through Port Houston’s container terminals has continued to increase steadily over the years, and there are no signs of slowing down.

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Caption: Peninsula Road

The $12.7 million Peninsula Road construction project near Port Houston's Jacintoport and CARE Terminals has been completed. The two-way road was widened to accommodate three lanes inbound and one lane outbound and will greatly improve traffic flow and safety. The project was completed by Harris Co. Precinct 2 in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation and Port Houston. The improvement, which took nearly 18 months to complete, is expected to bring $123 million in benefits to the Houston region over 10 years.

The area was one of the most congested roads in the port region and resulted in a number of accidents. In addition to improving the congestion and safety of this area, the project benefits include decreasing supply chain costs. Rail crossing safety has also been improved, with train signals added at six locations and crossing arms at five of those locations. The rail crossings are operated by Port Terminal Railroad Association and Union Pacific.

Port Houston contributed $800,000 to the project. The Port also facilitated Harris County’s participation in the Texas Legislature’s Rider 48 Grant Program and the project was awarded up to $10.2 million.

“Port Houston is proud to have worked on sourcing project funding on behalf of our industrial and governmental stakeholders on this project and appreciates their involvement in making this happen,” said Bruce Mann, freight mobility director for Port Houston. “It has been great to be part of this project from the beginning, and to now see the de-bottlenecking that has occurred and the significant improvements to safety for both the railroad and roadway users.”

“This project will make a big difference in our county’s infrastructure,” said Adrian Garcia, commissioner for Harris County Precinct 2. “This road has been overdue for an upgrade to handle heavy truck use for many years, and I am very pleased that it’s now complete. I want to thank our partners at Port Houston and TXDOT for their hard work in upgrading this roadway.”

The post Peninsula Road Project Completed: Port Partnership Makes Moving Freight Safer appeared first on Port Houston.

Caption: Container-on-barge transiting along the Houston Ship Channel.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced its latest round of grants for its America’s Marine Highway Program. Port Houston was one of nine U.S. ports awarded funding, receiving a grant for development of a business case study to explore options of building a container-on-barge facility.

Continuously striving for innovation and a diverse business portfolio, we will use the $180,000 grant to create an Operational Plan to determine if building a container-on-barge facility, located near either of our two container terminals, is a feasible option.

This study is part of an effort to explore potential for future growth and opportunities for infrastructure modifications. “This grant is an opportunity for us to explore new avenues for handling freight with greater efficiency, as volumes in this region continue to grow,” said Rich Byrnes, chief infrastructure officer for Port Houston. “We are honored to be a grant recipient and to work with MARAD.”

This is the second grant that Port Houston has received from MARAD. The first grant, for $10 million, was to build wharf 2 at the Bayport Container Terminal.

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Caption: Union Pacific Railcar (Photo credit: PTRA)

The Broadway Double Track Project near Manchester Street at the Port of Houston is now complete. The project was administered by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

Three Class I railroads – Union Pacific, BNSF Railway and Kansas City Southern Railroad — worked in collaboration with the port and provided half of the project funding. The Houston-Galveston Area Council provided the remaining federal funding. The Port Terminal Railroad Association (PTRA), Union Pacific and BNSF Railway all have rights to operate over tracks on port property.

The estimated $23 million project will generate $63 million in benefits and completes double tracking on the PTRA railroad on the south side of the ship channel. The project will remove train delays of two to four hours a day and alleviate one of the largest rail bottleneck points on the PTRA railroad.

The rail system includes a rail bridge over Broadway Street that provides rail switching services to shippers along the Houston Ship Channel. The construction improvements were made without impact to train operations. In coordination with Harris County, TxDOT and Port Houston, PTRA also is making improvements to rail crossings on Peninsula Road and Jacintoport Boulevard as part of the Peninsula Road Improvement Project.

The post Broadway Double Track Project Complete in East End appeared first on Port Houston.

Caption: Port Chairman Janiece Longoria, Port Commissioners Clyde Fitzgerald and John Kennedy and Brian Fielkow, CEO of Jetco Delivery Co. with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.

Port Houston participated at the Harris County International Trade and Transportation Conference, hosted by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett's office Dec. 5.

Executive Director Roger Guenther served on a panel with Mediterranean Shipping Company and MTS Logistics that focused on creating capacity for more cargo and freight in the region.

“We have room to grow; we are planning for the future,” Guenther said regarding capacity and the availability of equipment at the port’s facilities. He also shared that the port is looking at customer demand, freight mobility, terminal yard space and vessel size considerations.

One of out of every three exported container from Port Houston contains plastic resins, noted Guenther.

Jim Crane, owner of the World Series winning Houston Astros and the CEO of Crane Capital Group, was the keynote speaker during the event and discussed a variety of topics, including the port.

“The more we invest in the port, the more we can do,” Crane said. ‘We also have three great railroads here. We have the ability to run more business.”

There was also a polyethylene market overview by IHS Markit and a trucking and real estate panel.

Port Houston's FTZ Program and Economic Development Manager Shane Williams was a moderator during a foreign trade zone session. Port Houston manages FTZ 84, which is one of the most successful foreign trade zones in the United States.

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Port Houston leadership and staff with U.S. Rep. Brian Babin.

Port Houston leadership and staff attended the Alliance for I-69 Texas Annual Luncheon on November 19.  

“I-69 is the freight route for Texas; it touches every port in the state,” shared Loyd Neal, Nueces County Judge and chairman of the Alliance for I-69 Texas.

“Our future depends on I-69’s completion,” he noted. “We will be able to move the world’s goods much quicker and better.”

Planned as a freight corridor across the U.S. from Mexico to Canada, the I-69 route in Texas stretches from Texarkana to Brownsville.  A total of $3.4 billion in I-69 projects have been authorized by the Texas Department of Transportation. The funds are used to build the system incrementally, and TxDOT is continuing to bring more projects into development.

Luncheon keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, whose district includes the Port of Houston, addressed the development of the next transportation infrastructure investment bill and the potential opportunities for freight infrastructure, including I-69. Babin is a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Babin said that Texas cannot allow a weak link in the supply chain and he commended the work of the port and industry leaders for continuing to maintain progress going on road and infrastructure projects like I-69.

The post The I-69 System: The Alternate Route for Texas appeared first on Port Houston.

The Port Commission renewed Port Houston’s membership with the Alliance for I-69 Texas during January’s Port Commission meeting.

Former Polk County Judge John Thompson, who previously headed the organization, provided the Port Commission the Alliance’s latest update and was praised by Port Chairman Janiece Longoria.

 “The I-69 organization is a vital portion of the Houston supply chain,” said Longoria, a member of the Alliance. “It keeps transportation moving and has been successful securing federal funding.”

Port Houston has always been in the big picture regarding freight mobility and extending the market reach of the port complex, Thompson noted.

Port access is one component of Houston’s highway system, and I-69 is a landmark project that has made significant progress in continuing to improve that access in the region. The highway currently runs about 200 miles and connects through several Texas counties.  

The Alliance works with Harris County, the Texas Department of Transportation and other local, state and federal authorities to continue its mission and relay the importance of its future efforts. The organization has a 10-year unified transportation plan, and Thompson noted “it takes decades and generations to build a highway such as this.”

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Port Houston’s Sr. Director of Trade Development John Moseley provided the port’s 2018 outlook at the International Transportation Management Association Houston chapter’s monthly luncheon Jan. 10.

Moseley reported that total container volume of total (loaded and empty) containers for 2017 was up 13 percent, with a 66 percent increase in steel.

Forbes.com recently listed that Port Houston is the number one fastest growing port in terms of imports. Moseley stated that this is driven largely by Houston’s population growth, housing and distribution opportunities. The expansion of the Panama Canal and diversions from the West Coast have been contributing factors as well.  Strong exports are also anticipated due to more petrochemical companies expanding their plastics and resins operations within the next couple of years.

“What makes us unique is that we are one of few container ports in the U.S. that operates its container terminals which allows us to directly impact the customer experience,” said Moseley. Some of port’s the most recent investments are the port’s three new super-post Panamax cranes at its Barbours Cut Container Terminal as well as expanding its truck gate hours at the Bayport Container Terminal.

ITMA is a member-driven organization for companies and professionals that are involved in international transportation logistics. Port Houston continues to be a steadfast liaison driving regional commerce.

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Port Houston staff participated at the 2017 Harris County International Trade and Transportation Conference at NRG Park Oct. 31.

Executive Director Roger Guenther served on a port and Hurricane Harvey supply chain panel, while Chief Port Operations Officer Jeff Davis discussed port operations during a resin exports and packaging session.

The annual conference brings together representatives connected to the transportation industry to learn about the latest challenges, technologies and trends affecting their businesses.

Harris County and its surrounding region is known as a gateway to North America and a center for global commerce.

“What is important is how freight gets to where it needs to go. Freight drives the Texas economy,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, who welcomed the attendees.

During the port panel with Port Houston, Port Freeport, the Port of Corpus Christi and the Port of Beaumont, moderator Curtis Spencer, president of IMS Worldwide, Inc. said, “These Texas ports will be a return on investment for exports.”

Houston's 10 area refineries represent 12 percent of the U.S. refining capacity. 

ExxonMobil and other refineries along the Houston Ship Channel are expanding capacity for an increased demand of plastic resins and petroleum-based products. “Each supplier is working to develop a supply chain model that fits its unique needs,” said Perry Padden, Americas Logistics and Distribution Manager for ExxonMobil Chemical Company.

“I think that the Port of Houston is taking some great steps,” added Brian Fielkow, Jetco Companies representative on port operations and planning for future resins.

Houston is the largest export port in the nation.

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