The Port of Long Beach is moving towards the construction of a new on-dock rail support yard that will better-assist the flow of cargo, improve roadway traffic and reduce emissions by decreasing trips. The Port of Long Beach gave the green light to two key contracts in early July, enabling the start of the engineering design work and program management of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project.
The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility was firstly approved in January 2018, as a project that would move the cargo faster and a part of the port’s plan to improve their competitiveness and mitigate truck trips, which would lead in reducing emissions.
Board President Tracy Egoscue commented
Modernizing Pier B will allow our marine container terminals to move more cargo seamlessly from the docks to their destinations in America’s heartland. These efficiencies also advance our environmental goals under the Clean Air Action Plan.
The project is a $38.75 million contract, which includes:
- program-level design;
- utility, geotechnical and right-of-way analysis and planning;
- development of specifications for the first phase of rail improvements and the realignment of Pier B Street;
- support work ensuring the facility is designed and built to maximize on-dock rail use and efficiency.
Under its five-year, $17.5 million contract, Hill will assist the Port with multiple administrative tasks including project management, design review, risk management, permitting, managing the program’s schedule, budget, costs and progress, and business relocation and property acquisition.
In the meantime, the project will expand and improve the existing rail area of the port, southwest of West Anaheim Street and the 710 Freeway. When completed it will be able to accommodate trains up to 10,000 feet long.
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Moreover, following the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan Update, the San Pedro Bay ports are committed to enhancing rail infrastructure in the harbor area so that 35% of all import containers leave the complex by on-dock rail.
Concluding, the port stated that the project will be constructed in phases; The first arrival, departure and storage tracks are expected to be operational in 2024, additional tracks are due to come online in 2030, and the entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2032.
