JACKSONVILLE – On the heels of The SunRail Effect July 12th post, but not necessarily because of it, U.S. Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood toured the 158- acre TraPac, Inc. container yard at Dames Point on July 7th with Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and Jaxport officials. Hood had been invited in May by JaxPort CEO Paul Anderson and then Fla. State Sen. Tony Hill, who is now the mayor’s liaison between the city and state and federal governments.

The U.S. DOT began a third-round of applications for (very competitive) funding on July 1st through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.  LaHood was impressed with JaxPort. “It fits the model that we’re looking for in terms of investments we want to make in ports”.  JaxPort CEO Anderson said “the port authority has not finalized details for its application but it will likely involve funding of an on-dock rail connection for Dames Point.” [Florida Times-Union]  As noted in The SunRail Effect, CSX Corp. committed $40 million for a rail link to the port subject to the construction of an Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF).

Anderson and Hill had met LaHood in Washington, D.C. in May to invite him to the TraPac facility, as well as give an overview of the St. Johns River Mile Point navigational difficulties (from the A JaxPort maritime medley in Aug, 2010.) LaHood will advise the Chief of the Army Corps. of Engineers of his visit.

The corps already received about $850,000 to study Jacksonville’s plan to deepen the St. Johns River channel and roughly $415,000 to continue work on the Mile Point navigational problem. [funding dollars: Jacksonville Business Journal]

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On the day previous (July 6th) to LaHood’s visit, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott and Mayor Brown attended a private port facility Keystone Terminal grand opening celebration. First Coast News (ABC/ NBC affiliate) also attended. I’m going to defer to the station’s coverage because it’s thorough and has a video:

The brand new 100-million dollar, 110-acre Keystone Terminal off Talleyrand is expected to generate 200 jobs.  Coal, scrap metal, wood pellets and other bulk materials will be handled here from ships at three births.

“There will be manufacturing plants of biomass or wood pellets that will be out in the areas.  Each one of those plants will create so many jobs at the line plant.  In turn, those pellets and other materials will be shipped of of the Keystone terminal,” says Keystone CEO Tom Scholl.

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AUGUST 12 UPDATE: Army Corps of Engineers finishes draft report on Mile Point project in St. Johns River [Florida Times-Union]

 

 

Next on deck:  The Foreign Trade Zone at JaxPort