Tulsa Port of Catoosa completes $11M dock renovation

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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NRC

Tulsa is primed to expand shipping capacity as the Panama Canal expansion nears completion with newly renovated dock and rail facilities.

 

After more than two years of phased construction, officials at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa formally dedicated its $11.7-million dock renovation project on May 10, 2016, in front of an estimated crowd of 800.

The project completely replaced 26,000-square-feet of the 45-year-old dock, constructed more than 6,000 feet of new rail and renovated the 200-ton bridge crane, which is the largest crane on the McKellen-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. The port says shippers are now able to load barges directly onto rail or truck or efficiently transload between truck and rail, creating a seamless and cost-effective logistics operation for companies ranging from break bulk to manufactured project cargo.

The project was partially funded through a $6.4-million grant from the U.S Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program in 2012.

With the completion of the Panama Canal expansion expected this year, port officials say the dock renovation solidifies the port’s position as a cost-effective destination and launching point for various cargo, including agriculture, steel and manufactured consumer goods. The Tulsa Port of Catoosa is one of the largest inland ports in the nation and is the farthest point inland of any sea or river port.

“This investment in our waterway gives us the ability to move massive amounts of cargo across various modes of transportation unlike we’ve ever done before. There is no other dock of its kind along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation Channel,” said Bob Portiss, port director for the City of Tulsa Rogers County Port Authority. “The old dock served us well for 45 years, but this dock will take Oklahoma’s seacoast into the future of shipping for the next 45 years.”

 

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) provided pictures of the event. Additionally,  Jon M. McGrath, president of McGRATH LLC and former chairman of the NRC, serves on the City of Tulsa Rogers County Port Authority Board.

 

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