City of Fort Worth, TX

10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 04:07

USDOT awards $80 million grant to AllianceTexas Smart Port

USDOT awards $80 million grant to AllianceTexas Smart Port

Published on October 30, 2024

A public-private partnership in far north Fort Worth has been awarded $80 million from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program.

Why it matters: The grant will provide regional, state and national real-time tracking of goods and services as they move through the new Smart Port at AllianceTexas.

The partnership involves the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the City of Fort Worth and the City of Haslet and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).

The AllianceTexas Smart Port was one of 44 projects chosen nationwide and the lone selection from Texas.

About the project: This $262 million public-private partnership, which includes $96 million of private-sector investment, connects the AllianceTexas Inland Port, one of the nation's critical supply chain hubs, to the Dallas-Fort Worth regional transportation network and its bigger state and national ecosystems, which include the Texas Connected Freight Corridor (TCFC) and the critical National Highway Freight Network corridors of Interstate 35 and Interstate 45.

The real-time tracking of goods and services will be coupled with a direct connector bridge from the heart of the AllianceTexas Inland Port facility to State Hwy. 170. The bridge will alleviate east-west freight traffic, taking trucks off I-35W and a four-lane suburban road, and more efficiently routing them to their destination. By reducing traffic congestion, it will improve road safety, air quality, access to jobs and the quality of life in Denton and Tarrant counties.

Approximately 4.2 million trucks move in and out of the BNSF Railway Alliance Intermodal Facility each year, and that number is projected to nearly double by 2035.

About the Inland Port: The AllianceTexas Inland Port, ranked 15th nationally, is the primary port of entry for the southwestern United States, bringing shipped global goods directly from the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Houston via intermodal rail containers.

With more than half of all U.S. freight tonnage moving through Texas, it will also play a significant role in advancing the Texas Connected Freight Corridors Project, addressing freight safety and mobility needs.

Components of the project

  • Add a State Highway 170/Intermodal Parkway smart connected bridge: A technology/roadway connector from the BNSF Intermodal Facility to SH 170 to aid in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communication and connected/autonomous vehicle (CAV) deployment.
  • Build an integrated intermodal depot with BNSF Railway: Create a 32-acre container lot with drayage serviceability between BNSF's Intermodal hub and over 14 million square feet of future, next-generation warehouse space.
  • Ensure long-term 5G communication network capacity: Provide long-term telecommunications infrastructure to support expanded semi- and fully autonomous technology capabilities, as well as boost public/private 5G network growth.
  • Add a truckport for electric vehicle (EV) freight operations: Establish a regionally connected freight corridor node with EV/hydrogen charging units for short-/long-haul operation specializations.
  • Add independent and renewable energy micro-grid supporting future users: Ensure a strategically placed energy storage and management system to help mitigate demand spikes and improve resiliency against unforeseen energy impacts.
  • Connect Texas AV/EV Connected Freight Corridor: Institute a seamless platform for elevating inland port physical/technological connectivity in the 865-mile Texas Triangle, linking the DFW, Austin-San Antonio and Houston areas.

Photo:The new Smart Port at AllianceTexas is part of Hillwood's 27,000-acre master-planned, mixed-use development.

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