Facility Enhancement: Davisville, Virginia

Gov. Raimondo Proposes $70 Million Investment in Quonset's Port of Davisville

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced a proposal for a $70 million general obligation bond to modernize Quonset's Port of Davisville in her state budget address to the General Assembly on February 2. The initiative calls for the state to reconstruct Pier 2 at what is already a leading auto handling port.

Constructed in 1956, the pier was built and designed to last 50 years. The plan would renew the design life of the structure for another 50 years.

The proposed solution for Pier 2 is to install a new HZ style wall with grouted earth anchors drilled into the existing pier backfill. This will create "dead" man tie backs to anchor the wall to support the exposed height and earth pressure. The proposal includes the added benefit of another berth for ships on Pier 2.

The investment said Steven J. King, PE, managing director of the Quonset Development Corporation "will secure the Port of Davisville as one of Rhode Island's premiere economic assets and position the state for more economic expansion and job growth in the future."

2015 was another record year at Davisville, which enjoyed its sixth consecutive record-breaking year for auto imports by sea. The port now handles six times the volume of automobiles it did in 1996. Businesses at the port accounts for about $333 million in business output within the State of Rhode Island, more than 1,500 jobs, some $97 million in household income and about $17 million in personal income, sales and excise taxes.

The Port of Davisville’s Pier 2 is in the foreground.
Photo/Quonset Development Corporation

Virginia: Richmond Marine Terminal Debuts New Mobile Harbor Crane; Port, City Leaders Sign Long-Term Lease

 
 Signing the Richmond Marine Terminal lease agreement extension on February 1.  Seated from left: Virginia Port Authority Executive Director John F. Reinhart, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, and Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey L. Layne Jr.  Photo/Port of Virginia
 
Leaders from the City of Richmond and the Port of Virginia on February 1 signed a lease that enables the port to continue to its investment in and operation of Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) through 2056. A new mobile harbor crane, the port’s most recent investment, was also unveiled at the event.

Located on the James River approximately 90 miles upstream from the state port’s Hampton Roads marine terminals, the 121-acre, rail-served terminal offers more than 1,500 feet of marginal wharf with 22 feet of draft, 300,000-plus square feet of on-terminal warehouse space, and quick access to the Interstate highway system. The port authority has managed RMT the port since 2011 under a lease agreement with the city.

The 40-year lease extension, which Richmond City Council adopted last fall, clears the way for the port to implement its strategy to reinvest in RMT.  

The $4.2 million 350-ton crane is an initial step in the port’s effort to reinvest and modernize the 121-acre barge terminal. The crane will speed the loading and unloading of the container barge that calls RMT three times a week.  The barge transports containers between RMT and the port authority‘s Hampton Roads terminals. Funding came from a federal grant.

The crane was purchased with a grant from the federal government. Critical to the success of the grant was the Richmond Transportation Planning Organization, which supported the application and was the port’s partner through the entire process.

"What truly cleared the way for the purchase of this crane was the work of the TPO and the City of Richmond’s ability to take a long-term view, so that we can redevelop the facility, create efficiency in the cargo operation and continue to market this facility to the world’s ocean carriers, beneficial cargo owners," said John F. Reinhart, the CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. "That lease term allows us to begin implementing a long-term strategic plan for RMT that includes reinvesting in the terminal, collaborating with the city on marketing the facility and positioning RMT so that it becomes a catalyst for job creation, investment and economic development in the Greater Richmond area."

During the ceremony, the port also announced another significant investment: a new barge with 50 percent more capacity to carry containers in a single trip.

"This investment gives us the ability to stretch the barge’s capacity when, and if, needed," Mr. Reinhart said. "Currently there are 10 ocean carriers offering bills of lading to Richmond Marine Terminal and as we reinvest, the terminal and its capabilities are going to continue to generate interest and increased volume. We will maintain the three-day-a-week schedule and as demand dictates and can easily add another day."


Ribbon cutting ceremony February 1 for new mobile harbor crane at Richmond Marine Terminal
Photo/Virginia Port authority