Posted on April 10, 2019
FRONT ROYAL – The Port of Virginia is pushing to become a premier shipper and receiver, not just on the East Coast but throughout the world, John Reinhart, the port’s CEO, told a room of business owners, elected officials and legislators Tuesday morning.
“We are a catalyst for commerce,” Reinhart said during the annual state of the port address. “Where we go, jobs are created. Investments are made. We are creating a capacity for greatness with the $700 million of construction we have underway.”
This year, for the first time, Front Royal was the first stop on Reinhart’s tour of ports.
The Virginia Port Authority has been investing heavily in its spaces in Norfolk, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Reinhart showed a number of renderings and final, or near-final, projects coming to fruition that are helping increase the capacity at ports.
In the last year, volumes in and out of ports are up 2 percent, Reinhart said. Barge traffic is up 3 percent and rail makes up 34 percent of the port’s volume, the highest of any port on the East Coast, he said.
Over the last four years, Reinhart said, the Port of Virginia has sparked the expansion of more than 160 businesses in Virginia with close to $4 billion invested in the state by businesses and the creation of more than 15,000 jobs.
Some of that expansion is coming to Front Royal later this year as construction on the new rail in and out of the port begins.
Mercury Paper is investing $17.2 million to expand its operations in Strasburg, relying on the Inland Port to help move its product up and down the coast.
“They’re going to expand their facility and their production capability,” Reinhart said. “They tried to use their own mill up in Maine for a while and they found it was more efficient to come back. Now we are shipping a lot more of their cargo in and out. They were trying to relay it from Maine by truck and it just wasn’t keeping up with demand.”
More jobs from companies like Mercury are coupled with the construction projects associated with expansion.
Reinhart said the port tries to hire local when improving its facilities, though some experience will be required, he said.
“I think a lot of the construction that is going on with developers in the area and anything we do, we do it right here locally,” he said. “[But] they have to have experience in laying rail track.”
Reinhart said engineering plans were coming together for the Inland Port expansion as well as the at-grade crossing at Rockland Road.
Next year, the Inland Port will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Reinhart said the Port of Virginia is beginning to plan a ceremony to celebrate.
Source: nvdaily.com
