Page 27 - Port of Baltimore - May/June 2017

the continuous services that reach the East Coast because of the expansion of the Panama Canal. The infrastructure improvements will allow further growth for the entire Port community.”
Howard Street Tunnel Improvements Set to Boost Business
The state is looking to boost business at the Port even more by making infrastructure improvements to the Howard Street Tunnel. To help achieve this goal, Gov. Hogan, the MDOT MPA and CSX Corp. officials are seeking federal funds to upgrade the tunnel so double-stacked container trains — two shipping containers stacked on top of each other — can travel to and from the Port of Baltimore.
Height restrictions within CSX’s Howard Street Tunnel currently prevent the shipment of double-stacked intermodal containers by rail to and
from the Port. Once the tunnel’s height is amended, the Port will have another important asset in competing with fellow East Coast shipping facilities.
“The acquisition of the Point Breeze property, along with the push to raise the Howard Street Tunnel, is the future of the Port of Baltimore,” said Scott Cowan, President of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 33. “The ILA in Baltimore is excited for the growth potential that comes with the new acreage.”
For many years, the cost to reconstruct the Howard Street tunnel to accommodate double-stack intermodal trains was estimated at $1 billion to $3 billion. There were also overriding concerns about disruption to the surrounding communities during construction.
More recently, CSX and the Maryland Department of Transportation have determined that new construction techniques would bring the price tag down to approximately $425 million, with a minimal impact to the community. One of these new techniques involves
lowering the tunnel floor and notching the crown of the tunnel.
CSX and the state have already committed a combined minimum of $270 million toward this potential project, and Gov. Hogan is seeking federal funds for the balance of the project cost.
Port’s Dual Role: Economic Engine and Environmental Steward
The Port is able to maintain its role as a driving economic engine for the region, while also serving as an environmental steward for the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding communities. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized both the Port’s efficiency and how the MDOT MPA effectively uses federal funds for environmental improvements.
In October, the EPA reinforced
its commitment to the Port with a $978,302 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant to Maryland Environmental Services, which will use the funds to upgrade diesel equipment that is used to move cargo at the Port. This will improve overall fuel efficiency and ideally reduce harmful pollutants impacting nearby communities.
The grant will pay for exhaust system upgrades or replacing diesel engines on up to 26 pieces of cargo-handling equipment, such as forklifts and yard tractors. The project also will install five automatic stop- start anti-idling devices on locomotives used at a nearby rail yard to move rail cars that come through the Port. 􏰀
70
Additional acres of property available at Point Breeze Business Center
1,650
Direct jobs expected to be generated due to this purchase
538,567
Record number of containers handled by the Port in 2016
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