Port of Victoria Secures Multi-Million Dollar Grant for Rail Expansion Project
The Victoria County Navigation District, owner and operator of the Port of Victoria, has secured a $6 million CARES Act Grant through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for a proposed Rail Expansion Project. This grant, which requires a 50%, or $3 million, match from the Port, will help fund the construction of a 1.9-mile rail loop and 2,000-foot ladder track at the Port’s North Industrial Site. The Rail Expansion Project will connect three tracts of available land, totaling 115 acres, and provide current tenants with improved rail access. It will also allow the Port to accommodate the delivery of unit trains with 100+ railcars and provide additional capacity at the Port for railcar storage.
The Port of Victoria will begin the procurement process for the Railway Expansion Project in February 2021. Construction time is estimated at around nine months and is expected to be finished by the end of 2021. This project is one of many exciting improvements the Port of Victoria is making, and we are thankful for the possibilities this brings our community.
The Victoria County Navigation District was created in 1946 and established the Port of Victoria in 1968 upon completion of the 35-mile Victoria Barge Canal. With over 2,000 acres available for commercial and industrial development, its location within a Foreign Trade Zone and a Texas Enterprise Zone, access to rail and highway transportation, proximity to the airport, and a canal that meets Gulf Intracoastal Waterway parameters, the Port of Victoria is full of potential! To date, the Port has created over 500 jobs in the area and has an estimated annual impact of close to $9.0 billion on the economy.