$574,000 grant to fund Port of Pascagoula rail connection

Clarion-Ledger, Jackson

 

 

By Anthony McDougle

 

Thanks to legislation passed to help states affected by the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, the Port of Pascagoula will be getting a new rail connection that's expected to improve safety and make rail traffic move more smoothly. According to a report by Railway Age, The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has been awarded a $574,000 grant to fund planning, surveying and permitting for the 4,300-foot rail connection serving the Jackson County port. 

 

The grant, which was announced by U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss), as well as Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss), is being provided as part of the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). 

 

“Better rail infrastructure will help Mississippi businesses more efficiently move their products to markets and will support our ports as hubs of commerce and trade,” Sen. Wicker said. “This grant lays the groundwork for a rail link that will reduce rail congestion and improve safety.”

 

The connection is a component of the Port of Pascagoula’s Intermodal Improvement Project in its effort to create a more efficient rail connection to the port. The port hopes the connection will link the rail bridge over the Escatawpa River to the new route made possible by a FY13 $14 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. The new connection will route trains from the Mississippi Export Railroad line to the new line paid for by the TIGER grant. 

 

The cost of the 4,300 feet of rail one bridge box, two yard switches, and additional materials is expected to be approximately $6.4 million.

 

“This sort of investment to improve infrastructure on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is needed to realize the full potential of the Port of Pascagoula. The planning and surveying work is an important step to making this Jackson County rail project a reality,” Hyde-Smith said.

 

The U.S. Treasury Department Office of Gulf Coast Restoration approved the grant