The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District has issued a permit for the construction of the Sparrows Point Container Terminal (SPCT). The project is a joint venture between Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investments to establish a new facility at the Port of Baltimore.
The project is located on 330 acres (134 hectares) within the Tradepoint Atlantic industrial development site, formerly the Sparrows Point Steel Mill. The permit authorises the construction of a 3,000-linear-foot (914-metre) marine terminal, including a marginal wharf with ship-to-shore cranes, a container yard, and an intermodal rail yard.
To ensure vessel access, the project includes deepening and widening the Sparrows Point Channel and turning basin to -52 feet (-16 metres). This will require the mechanical dredging and placement of approximately 4.2 million cubic yards (3.2 million cubic metres) of material. The channel will connect to the Brewerton Federal Navigation Channel.
The USACE acted as the lead agency for the environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) using the FAST-41 process. Regulatory Project Manager Maria Teresi noted that the collaborative process allowed for the avoidance of 100 acres (40 hectares) of fill in the tidal Patapsco River.
The terminal will feature an on-dock rail facility intended to increase container throughput in conjunction with the Howard Street Tunnel vertical clearance improvement project. Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, stated the action is part of efforts to reduce bureaucratic delays for infrastructure projects.
