JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a $6 million Economic Development Administration grant to the Jacksonville Port Authority to help improve the Blount Island Marine Terminal railroad system, the Journal of Commerce reports.
JAXPORT said it will use the grant to rebuild existing track and rail ties.
This award is the result of a grant proposal submitted by the port earlier this year in response to a competitive funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The award is not part of any federal stimulus program. JAXPORT will contribute $1.7 million in matching funds to the project.
CSX Transportation moves cargo along the 14-mile single-track Blount Island rail system owned by JAXPORT. The railroad serves both the terminal and the U.S. Marine Corps unit on Blount Island.
The project will lay 3.5 miles of new rail to replace worn portions of the 40-year-old system.
Approximately 80 percent of all JAXPORT container cargo moves through Blount Island, the port's largest marine terminal; more than 30 percent of Blount Island cargo moves by rail and the rest by truck.
JAXPORT moved nearly 8.5 million tons of cargo in 2008.
(The preceding article by Thomas L. Gallagher appeared on the Web site www.joc.com on October 7, 2009.)
