The Port of Long Beach Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility has received a final federal approval from the US Maritime Administration.according to the Long Beach Business Journal.
The adjustment raises the project’s funding from the previously estimated $1.567 billion, reflecting rising construction costs, labor expenses, and supply chain challenges.
The ODRSF aims
The ODRSF aims to more than double the size of the existing Pier B rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres and triple the port’s on-dock rail capacity from 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 4.7 million TEUs annually.
The project will reduce truck traffic by 15% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20,000 metric tons annually, per a 2023 environmental impact report. The port secured $643 million in federal, state, and local grants for the project, including $283 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Mega Grant Program in December 2023, as announced by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla
Additional funding includes $52.3 million from the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program and $158.4 million from California’s Port Freight and Infrastructure Program.
“Simply put, the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility will move cargo faster and with fewer environmental impacts,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero.Long Beach Harbor Commission President Steven Neal added: “The Port of Long Beach is a gateway for $200 billion in job-generating trade each year.”
