(The following article by Bill Hensel Jr. was posted on the Houston Chronicle website on January 14.)
HOUSTON — The Port of Houston Authority is trying to get $3 billion from the federal government to consolidate freight lines, a move that would reduce both traffic congestion and horns blaring in neighborhoods.
The project is akin to the Alameda Corridor in California, where rail lines recently were consolidated to improve service at the bustling ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Houston port officials are hoping federal highway funds can be secured to pursue the deal, which would help build on an increasing shift of cargo to Houston from some of those same ports on the West Coast.
A massive labor slowdown at West Coast ports in 2002 triggered that move, as shippers saw some of their key products stalled or blocked from moving across the docks.
Port of Houston Executive Director Tom Kornegay said Houston is a logical destination for many kinds of cargo, and the number of containers moving through the port is increasing annually.
Dubbed the “Harris County Freight Railroad Corridors and Urban Mobility Program,” the project would consolidate the lines into three train corridors and expand them with grade-separated roadways.
The port wants to move now on the proposal because a new six-year funding cycle for the highway funds is coming before Congress next month.
Currently, 11 train lines operate in the Houston area. Traffic on some lines could be eliminated, while traffic on other lines could be rescheduled to off-peak times.
As proposed, the north corridor would stretch from Conroe to inside the Loop, down the Hardy Toll Road. The west corridor would travel from the port out along the West Belt past the University of Houston and then southwest along U.S. 90A.
The port corridor would use the Union Pacific Railroad’s Harrisburg Branch through the East End and the expanded Port Terminal Railroad Association’s tracks along Texas 225 to the rail corridor down Texas 146.
That would provide connections between the north and west corridors, the Bayport Industrial Complex, the Barbours Cut container terminal, petrochemical facilities on the Houston Ship Channel and the proposed Bayport terminal, which has just been permitted.
Port officials hope the Bayport terminal will begin operating in early 2006, barring any further delays by the federal courts. A hearing on the project is scheduled next month.
Port officials believe the rail consolidation project is needed because of the growth in cargo moving through the port. Big companies like Wal-Mart and Home Depot want to make sure they can get their products to the marketplace, Port Chairman Jim Edmonds noted Tuesday.
“The market demands product and the most efficient way to do it is in big containers,” Edmonds said.
On the Gulf Coast, the Port of Houston handles about two-thirds of all container moves.
The Alameda Corridor project in California, which was completed last year, involved the operations of three freight railroad carriers being consolidated into one high-speed, high-capacity corridor.
Kornegay said he was hesitant to compare the Houston project with the Alameda Corridor, because considerable rights of way had to be acquired for that project, along with extensive construction.
“There was a huge congestion issue, not same as what we have,” Kornegay said. “We are absolutely trying to get more trains through faster, and that is what is similar.”
No new right of way acquisitions would be needed for the project in its current form, port officials said.
Congressional officials have indicated a willingness to fund a demonstration project, according to Edmonds.
“We’ve asked to be that demonstration project,” he said.
Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said the railroad, which has a significant presence in Houston, has yet to be approached about the project.
“We would sit down and work with those sponsoring a project like this to ensure our service remains intact and safety is preserved,” Davis said.
One thing Union Pacific would have to ensure is that operations in the Houston area “would remain at or better than what they are now,” Davis said.
Houston port officials weren’t sure what to expect when the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping companies, locked out dockworkers at 29 major Pacific ports for 10 days. To avoid an economic crisis, President Bush invoked a little-used law to open the docks Oct. 9, 2002.
The West Coast ports handle more than $300 billion in trade each year, and economists estimated shippers were losing $1 billion a day as cargo lay idle.
During the slowdown, among the most affected shippers were companies sending products from Asia to the United States. Many began eyeing Gulf and East Coast ports to ship through.
Freight and warehouse operators in the Houston area saw a significant increase in cargo.
Gulf Winds International President Steve Stewart said his company benefited after the labor slowdown.
“There is no question that has diverted cargo to the Gulf,” Stewart said.
Gulf Winds delivered tons of cargo when the slowdown occurred, he said, “and a lot of people came back and said they were not going to allow themselves to be held hostage.”