The Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Port Authority's harbor district includes this river terminal, operated by Kinder Morgan.
The Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Port Authority on Thursday announced that it has contracted with Trac-Work Inc. of Little Rock to rehabilitate rail track infrastructure for nearly $106,000 and will pay for the work with a $163,833 Arkansas Waterways Commission grant.
The infrastructure serves its public terminal complex at the Port of Pine Bluff harbor district. The terminal complex is operated for the authority by Watco Terminal and Port Services.
Trac-Work Inc. submitted the lowest of three bids. Their contract includes replacement of hundreds of crossties, specified rail track replacement, and tons of added C-ballast (rock) spread and tamped. The company, essentially, will rebuild three internal rail spurs that serve the 20-acre terminal complex.
The work must be substantially completed on or before June 16. Unused grant funds must be returned to AWC.
Mike Murphy, Watco’s Pine Bluff terminal manager, has been assigned by the authority to observe the quality of work and confirm completion of each project segment.
Also, in the weeks leading up to awarding of the contract, the terminal experienced two incidents of internal, rail-car derailments attributed to the infrastructure’s age. In both cases, a local rail contractor was called to re-rail the cars and make emergency repairs in order to return the tracks to immediate customer service.
The extra rail services cost $21,555, but they are also covered under the grant.
Port Authority Chairman David Bush said in a news release that the project comes at a critical time for the terminal operator.
A major new rail customer, 3D Corporate Solutions, was picked up in late 2016. Rhonda Dishner, rail project grant coordinator for authority, told Arkansas Business that the company transports raw materials for the Diamond Pet Food plant in Dumas. From the terminal, materials are unloaded and put onto trucks for the final leg of their journey.
The authority said it expects to unload between 100 and 150 rail cars in 2017 due to the addition of 3D Corporate Solutions.
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