Negotiations for Intermodal in LaPorte
By Stowe, Gene
As railways seek relief from Chicago congestion, potential intermodal facilities in LaPorte County could bring thousands of jobs, warehousing and distribution centers, and manufacturing and processing plants to the area.
LaPorte Mayor Leigh Morris says he knows of two sets of negotiations under way in the county, although the sensitive stage of the talks limits the amount of information available. Construction could start as early as next year.
“Land acquisition is being pursued in at least two locations in LaPorte County,” Morris says. “There are possibly three different railroads involved in the two sites” – a Norfolk Southern site in the center of the county, and Canadian Nation and GSX in the southern part.
“These are related to the fact that the Chicago rail terminal is so congested they can’t handle the demand coming through that gateway,” he says, adding that congestion in Chicago can wind up taking an inordinate amount of time for rail cars coming from either coast. “They’re looking for ways to ease that congestion.”
An intermodal facility is a center where goods carried in tractor- trailer-size containers on railroad cars are taken off the cars and carried by truck to their local destinations. A similar facility in Elwood, Ill., near Joliet, has created some 6,000 jobs since 2002.
“We are talking about thousands of jobs if either of these facilities we’re talking about becomes a reality,” Morris says: “It’ll be the biggest economic develop activity in our region in generations.
“Probably one, of the most important things is you develop a series of warehouses and distribution centers around the intermodal facility. It is available for redeployment from there.
“It makes it attractive not just for warehousing and distribution, but also for manufacturing and processing. The jobs that are created are very significant.”
For example, Wal-Mart is building a 1.5-million-square-foot facility near the Elwood center, which LaPorte is studying to gauge the local effect.
“This is sort of a prototype,” Morris says. “We’re learning it’s been a very, very positive thing for that area. That facility is served by a two-lane highway, We have to be prepared.”
Local governments would be impacted by the need for infrastructure improvements, job training and housing, he says.
“This is not being driven by the city,” Morris says. “It’s being driven by the railroads and the developers in cooperation with the state of Indiana.”
Copyright South Bend Tribune Corporation Oct 30, 2006
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