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Port of San Diego Celebrates

[ February 15, 2018   //   ]

The Port of San Diego celebrated the start of a $24 million public works project that will modernize its Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. On January 23, 2018, Chairman Rafael Castellanos was joined by U.S. Representative Scott Peters, City of San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer, City of San Diego Councilmember David Alvarez, Port Vice Chairman Garry Bonelli, Port Commissioners Robert “Dukie” Valderrama and Marshall Merrifield, International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 29 President Anthony Soniga and Working Waterfront Group Co-Chair Dennis Dubard, along with other officials including Port Chief Executive Officer Randa Coniglio in a special event that included tearing down a wall of a warehouse destined to be demolished.

Referred to as the Modernization, the project will remove two obsolete warehouses and create much-needed laydown area for larger project cargo. It will also include improvements to utilities, new lighting and pavement. Also as part of the project, new modular office space, utility enclosures and restrooms will be added, as well as on-dock rail improvements.

“The timing is right for this project as the Port of San Diego is poised for additional growth in the Blue Economy,” said Chairman Castellanos. “We are the fourth largest port in the state and this project will allow the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal to handle up to 4.6 million metric tons of cargo annually and create many great jobs, while protecting the environment by incorporating smart technology to reduce pollution.”

The Modernization is the first phase of a larger, market-driven project that supports the Port of San Diego’s specialty cargo advantage by providing laydown space and flexibility for each cargo type. The long-term redevelopment plan envisions three distinct cargo nodes within the existing footprint of the terminal and is focused on project and break-bulk cargo, refrigerated containers and dry bulk cargo.

“America’s ports are pillars of the U.S. supply chain and here in San Diego, our port is our gateway to the rest of the world. As a former Chairman of San Diego’s Port Commission, I know just how important the Port of San Diego’s modernization of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is to our efficiency. We worked to secure $10 million from the TIGER Grant program for these planned upgrades and today, we break ground on this long-awaited project that will create jobs, improve operation efficiency, and help to grow our region’s economy,” said Rep. Scott Peters. “This project is a great example of how the federal government is investing in ports and San Diego’s maritime industry to increase our global competitiveness and provide for our national defense.”

“This is a great opportunity to increase business going through our port and fuel one of our strongest economic engines going forward,” said Mayor Faulconer. “Modernizing the terminal will allow the Port of San Diego to capture more business for the region and create more jobs for local residents.”

The Port successfully competed for a $10 million TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fund the first phase of the Modernization. The Port will match the grant with a $14 million contribution.

Based on identified cargo volume increases and other triggers, the project will also facilitate implementation of the long-term redevelopment plan that includes innovative technologies to help safeguard the environment around the terminal. Zero and near-zero emission freight equipment will be implemented at the terminal over the next 20 years and an emission-capturing bonnet system is planned to capture harmful pollutants for vessels that are unable to use shore power while at berth.

“I applaud the Port of San Diego for initiating this important public works project at our city’s cargo terminal and for involving the community during the planning process,” said San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez. “This project will expand trade capacity, providing more good jobs, and even more importantly will demonstrate environmental stewardship of Barrio Logan by providing a cleaner, smarter cargo terminal that emits less pollutants than it does today.”

Phase I of the modernization project is anticipated to take approximately 13 months to complete. Dick Miller, Inc., of San Marcos, California was awarded the contract for this phase. Future phases will be dependent on funding, market trends and customer needs.

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