The Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Port Authority has signed a contract for nearly $106,000 worth of critically-needed rehabilitation work to rail track infrastructure serving its public terminal complex at the Port of Pine Bluff harbor district.
Grant funds from the Arkansas Waterways Commission (AWC) are making the repairs possible. Late last year, the authority received a $163,833 grant for these upgrades at the terminal, which is operated for the authority by Watco Terminal and Port Services. Trac-Work, Inc., of Little Rock was the successful bidder on the project, with an all-inclusive bid of $105,853.36. The contract includes replacement of hundreds of crossties, specified rail track replacement, and tons of added C-ballast (rock) spread and tamped. The work essentially will rebuild three internal rail spurs that serve the 20-acre terminal complex.
According to terms of the agreement, work must be substantially completed on or before June 16, 2017. 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.
Notices for sealed bids were published in early March announcing a March 15 public bid opening. Besides Trac-Work, two other bids were received by the opening deadline, and two additional companies showed preliminary interest but did not submit bid packages. After initial bid review, the process was temporarily delayed, as numerous post-bid clarifications were needed. Trac-Work’s bid subsequently was deemed the lowest and best, based on cost and other stated provisions.
In the weeks leading up to awarding the contract, the public 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. Costs for those extra rail services totaled $21,555, also covered under the grant, according to AWC, because the repairs were included in the overall project scope of work.
The rehab project comes at a critical time for the terminal operator, according to port authority Chairman David Bush. A major new rail customer was picked up in late 2016. And there is already a significant increase in rail traffic due to this customer, for which the terminal expects to unload between 100 and 150 railcars in 2017.
Established in 1969, the port public terminal serves as a business incubator for regional companies needing warehousing or to move large volumes of commodities by rail, barge or truck. It supports numerous companies in the area and provides an overall economic impact in the millions of dollars. From 2010-2016, an average of 64,466 tons of commodities moved annually through that port facility alone.