October 24, 2024 - TRA Newswire -

In partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the City of Fort Worth and the City of Haslet, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and Hillwood, a Perot Company, $80 million has been awarded by the federal government to the Alliance Smart Port, set to transform how freight moves throughout North Texas and beyond. 

It's part of a $262 million public-private partnership that includes $96 million of private sector investment to improve road and rail movement and safety, air quality, access to jobs, and quality of life for over 3 million residents across Denton and Tarrant counties. The $80 million was awarded as one of 44 national projects from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program. 

One of the components in reimagining the movement of goods through the region is an integrated Intermodal Depot with BNSF Railway. A 32-acre container lot with drayage serviceability will be created between BNSF's intermodal hub at Alliance and over over 14 million square feet of future, next-generation warehouse space. 

About 4.2 million trucks move in and out of the BNSF Railway Alliance Intermodal Facility each year, and that number is expected to double by 2035. 

BNSF beefed up its international business earlier this year with with a cross-border partnership between intermodal trucking company J.B. Hunt and Grupo Mexico Transportes (GMXT) that is offering faster and more efficient freight rail service.    

In a news release it was announced that the grant will transform the U.S. supply chain and increase resilience by providing real-time tracking of goods and services as they move through the new Smart Port, Hillwood's 27,000 acre master-planned, mixed-use development. 

"Alliance Texas is poised to redefine what it means to be a modern logistics hub," said Rose Perot, Jr., Chairman of the Perot Group and Hillwood.  "By integrating automation and forward-looking technologies through this grant, we will not only strengthen the national supply chain but also set a global benchmark for resilience and efficiency in port operations."

A direct connector bridge to State Highway 170 is included in the project, along with enhanced 5G communications network capacity, electric vehicle and hydrogen charging stations, a micro-grid for energy storage as needed, and a technology platform for autonomous vehicles. 

"It allows our supply chain to function more efficiently and more reliably than it ever has before and provide greater safety and reduced congestion on our state's highway network," said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. "The project ties into the National Highway System, which includes the 865-mile Texas Connected Freight Corridor and its critical corridors I-35 and I-45."

Alliance Texas is one of the nation's largest intermodal hubs, connecting rail (BNSF), road (I-35W/SH-170) and air (Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance). 

Photo credit: BNSF Railway