Port projects rolling along

Facility breaks ground on transmodal system; unveils command center

Tommy Mann, Jr.

ORANGE — The Port of Orange celebrated the completion of one project and began another with combined ceremonies on Monday morning.

The Port of Orange held a groundbreaking ceremony for its next big project, which is a transmodal containerized cargo loading and staging yard. The project is expected to take 18 months to complete at a cost of $6.5 million.

“The new transmodal system will greatly assist the port,” said Gene Bouillion, CEO and port director. “It will help us in receiving bulk products by truck or rail, which is then placed into cargo containers and loaded onto ships and transported to other ports around the U.S. and the world.”

Bouillion said $4 million for the project is being provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, while the other estimated $1.5-$2.5 million will come from port funds.

“This project will also bring with it a lot of new jobs,” Bouillion added. “We’ll have construction jobs, as well as warehouse and longshoremen and more.”

The Port of Orange also purchased 12 additional acres of land for the space it will need to properly operate such a transmodal system.

“The extra land was needed for the lay-down area and for any future expansion we might have,” Bouillion continued. “We have already relocated the utilities and we will be going out for bids soon, probably within in the next 60 days.”

Not only will the transmodal cargo loading system assist in the exporting of items from Orange County, but also the importing of much needed items to be distributed locally and at various points in the region.

“This project makes great sense for the future,” said Kevin Brady, U.S. Representative (Texas-8th District). “It will only serve to strengthen the port and the economy of Orange County. Also, every container we put on a barge means less traffic on Interstate 10, and that’s always good from a safety point of view.”

The Port of Orange also unveiled its new command center will allow for better security for all vehicles entering or exiting the port.

The facility has been under construction for approximately three years, including Hurricane Ike-related delays. It will allow security personnel to funnel traffic in and out of the port, as well as perform safety checks, and observe multiple facets of the port facility, including water access points.

“The command center will allow us to better process traffic in and out of the port, according to the new Homeland Security rules,” Bouillion said. “Security can inspect trucks and make sure everything is how it is supposed to be.”

According to Bobby Fillyaw, director of the Orange County Economic Development Corporation, the new transmodal cargo loading system and enhanced security at the Port of Orange will only benefit Orange County, as will the recent Port of Beaumont addition on the Orange County side of the Neches River.

The Port of Orange debuted a 650-foot long, 125-foot wide concrete wharf on Nov. 10, which is located just upriver from Gerdau Ameristeel in Rose City. The deep water wharf project cost approximately $20 million.

“Anytime you can create infrastructure, whether its the Port of Orange or on the western side of Orange County with the Port of Beaumont, you create opportunities for jobs and to increase your tax base,” Fillyaw said.

Fillyaw said with the completion of the wharf project in western Orange County and the beginning of the transmodal containerized cargo loading system at the Port of Orange, the county will now be able to assume a larger role in transporting and receiving goods by water, as it already does by rail and truck.

“The more transportation options you have, then the more opportunities you have for economic development,” Fillyaw explained. “Having three major forms of transportation will help lower those costs for businesses by increasing competition for those services.”

Fillyaw said that having the transmodal containerized loading system at the Port of Orange will not cause any direct competition with the Port of Beaumont because the facility in Orange will focus on transporting items by barges, whereas the facility in Beaumont is for deep water ships.

The next phases of work at the Port of Beaumont wharf in Orange County include construction of an access road to Interstate 10 and connecting railway systems with the new infrastructure development.

Tommy Mann Jr. is a reporter for The Orange Leader. He can be reached at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com