b'4American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comLone Star State seaports investing heavily in projects to support increasing activityBy Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTTo accommodate increasing cargoCity (No. 17) and Freeport (No. 19).activity,TexasportsareproactivelyStarting just west of the Louisi-beefing up on-port infrastructure whileana-Texaslineandheadinggener-multiple projects to deliver deeper shipallysouthwestwardalongtheGulf channels are advancing as well. ofMexico,towardtheU.S.-Mexico Much of the record-level action isborder,hereisaport-by-portsum-associatedwithenergyindustries,asmary of whats happening at key ports well as benefits of proximity to Mexico. of the Lone Star State:Texas has the most Foreign-TradeP ort ofP ortA rthurZone activity of any state and is home tosixofthe20busiestU.S.portsAt the Port of Port Arthur, where Lumber remains a leading commodity at the Port of Pascagoula, where development of a newasmeasuredbytotalcargotonnageforest products remain leading com-master plan is under way. handled, according to the U.S. Armymodities, a major expansion of Berth CorpsofEngineers:Houston(No.6 facilities is moving forward toward (LINKScontinued from page 2) ization of general cargo piers. 1), Corpus Christi (No. 3), Beaumonttargeted completion in July. The $67 berthingalongtheGulfofMexico,(No. 7), Port Arthur (No. 15), Texas(PROJECTScontinued on page 6)according to port officials, who assertP ort ofP AScAgoulAthat the Mobile facility has been theAlong the Mississippi Gulf Coast, fastest-growingU.S.containerter- just west of the Alabama state line, the minal over the past five years. Pres- JacksonCountyPortAuthoritysPort ent expansion efforts are boosting theof Pascagoula is focused on advancing terminalsannualthroughputcapac- a bright future under Bo Ethridge, who ityto1million20-foot-equivalentin mid-2023 came aboard as port direc-container units, with full build-out totor, succeeding Mark McAndrews. Eth-make available 2.5 million TEUs ofridges extensive Gulf region experience yearly capability. includes stints as business development Building upon the Port of Mobilesdirector at the Port of New Orleans and direct connectivity with five Class Iport director of Mississippis Hancock railroads, development of AlabamasCounty Port and Harbor Commission, thirdintermodalcontainertransferfacilities of which include Port Bienville facilityisproceedinginpartnershipIndustrialParkandNASAsStennis withCSXTransportationinDeca- Space Center.tur,toaugmentICTFsinoperationEthridgeisspearheadingaport inMobileandMontgomery.Otherrebrandingprocessandrestructure planned Alabama State Port Author- ofrates,whileaconsultingteam ityinvestmentsincludeconstructionfrom Hatch Ltd. is getting started on of an interterminal connector bridgedevelopment of a new master plan for tocreateon-dockrailaccessattheguiding future growth of Mississippis Mobilecontainerterminal,develop- largest port. A significant expansion of Berth 6 facilities at the Port of Port Arthur is advancing toward targeted ment of a logistics park, and modern- (LINKScontinued on page 16) completion this summer.Steering aSteering anewnewcoursecoursein 2024.in 2024.BULK CARGO | FOREST PRODUCTS | METALS | PROJECT CARGO | STEEL | WOOD PELLETS | & MOREWWW.PORTOFPASCAGOULA.COM'