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Yesterday, the Jacksonville Port Authority announced it submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) seeking a $25 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery III (TIGER III) grant to help fund the construction of a $45 million Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at the Dames Point Marine Terminal. The Florida port is seeking the remaining $20 million from the state of Florida.
 
To be served by CSX Corp., the proposed ICTF would transfer containerized cargo from ships to rail cars, increasing the port’s ability to move cargo quickly, reducing truck miles and exhaust emissions, and trimming highway maintenance costs, port authority officials said in a prepared statement.

Targeted for completion in late 2014, the facility also would make Jacksonville a more competitive transportation hub and help the port take advantage of increased usage of the Suez Canal and soon-to-be-expanded Panama Canal, they said.
 
“Adding an ICTF to [the port’s] already superior highway and rail connections will offer even more cost-effective solutions for shippers in an industry demanding efficiency and speed,” said Paul Anderson, the authority’s chief executive officer.

Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is seeking three TIGER III grants totaling $40.9 million for rail projects. The department is requesting $21.3 million for the multi-state Sunbelt Rail Rehabilitation project, which calls for upgrading lines operated by the Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad, Kiamichi Railroad and Texas Northeastern Railroad in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

In addition, TxDOT applied for $10 million to help fund the construction of additional track and other rail improvements at the Port of Corpus Christi, and $9.6 million to rehabilitate the South Orient Railroad line from Sulphur Junction to Fort Stockton.
 
The USDOT plans to award TIGER III grants in early 2012; $527 million in TIGER grant funding is available through the 2011 Appropriations Act.