Jacksonville Port Authority Blount Island Marine Terminal Rail Improvements Jacksonville, Florida

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1 Jacksonville Port Authority Blount Island Marine Terminal Rail Improvements Jacksonville, Florida By: Bryan K. Haye, Senior Project Manager; Michael J. Shostak, P.E., Vice President; and Clinton C. Lalla, P.E., Senior Project Manager HDR Engineering, Inc. 200 West Forsyth Street, Suite 800 Jacksonville, FL, Phone: Fax: Words ABSTRACT The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) operates three major marine terminals in Jacksonville, Florida. JAXPORT retained HDR Engineering, Inc. in 2010 to develop a plan for rail infrastructure improvements for their 754-acre Blount Island Marine Terminal (BIMT). BIMT serves roll-on/roll-off, breakbulk, liquid bulk and heavy lift cargos, along with extensive vehicle import/export activities. JAXPORT owns the BIMT track facilities and CSX Transportation (CSXT) provides rail service. Based on HDR s recommendations, JAXPORT was able to secure a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to pay for the cost of the improvements. Approximately 19,800 feet of track and 19 turnouts were upgraded from 100# jointed rail on wood ties to 115# welded rail on steel ties. The steel ties are expected to provide a service life of over 20 years. A total of 25 road crossings were upgraded, including six crossings with heavy truck traffic using concrete platform ( tub ) crossings which consist of a large precast concrete slab placed on a prepared crushed concrete roadbed with the rail recessed into and directly fixed to the concrete slab. HDR evaluated various options to replace the rail and fasteners on an existing 1545 concrete deck bridge over the St. John River. The existing fasteners were replaced with larger plates bolted directly to the deck with new clips to provide a more efficient system with a larger bearing surface. The project was completed in October 2012 at a total cost of approximately $7.7 Million. 248

2 INTRODUCTION JAXPORT owns and operates three marine cargo terminals, one passenger cruise terminal, and an automobile ferry terminal in Jacksonville, Florida. JAXPORT markets these publicly-owned facilities to promote the growth of maritime and related industries in Jacksonville and beyond. The port s efforts have generated growth in container volume and total cargo. During 2012, JAXPORT s three terminals handled 923,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and moved a total of approximately 8.2 million tons of cargo. That cargo included 608,000 vehicles which makes JAXPORT the No. 2 vehicle-handling port in the United States. As JAXPORT s largest marine facility, the BIMT plays an important role in the local and regional economies. The 754-acre site serves roll-on/roll-off, break-bulk, liquid bulk and heavy lift cargos and ranks among the top vehicle import/export centers in the country. Ensuring that rail operations at the BIMT keep pace with freight demands is vital to maintaining the facility s advantage in a competitive port industry. HDR worked with CSXT and JAXPORT to develop a plan for rail improvements that will help keep JAXPORT s rail traffic running smoothly for decades to come. JAXPORT s Blount Island Spur connects to CSXT s Dames Point Spur approximately two miles north of the BIMT. The Blount Island Spur was constructed during the early 1960s to serve the wharf and warehouses on the BIMT. Over the years, the facility s rail infrastructure expanded to include two loop tracks in the warehouse area, an additional spur and a number of support yards for loading and unloading automobiles, heavy equipment, military hardware and other materials. While JAXPORT owns the Dames Point Spur and trackage at the BIMT, CSXT has historically maintained the spur, and in 2008, CSXT asked HDR to evaluate BIMT s rail infrastructure. HDR looked at existing conditions and the extent of past modifications to determine what improvements were needed. The investigation revealed that the rail infrastructure at the facility had reached the point where simply performing maintenance was not adequate. It was time for a capital rebuilding program. Figures 1 and 2 show the extent of the improvements. As a result of HDR s study for CSXT, JAXPORT successfully pursued funding assistance from the U.S. Department of Commerce. A $6 million grant was awarded to JAXPORT in the fall of The grant stipulated that all rail improvements must provide for a 20-year service life with minimal maintenance. In 2010, HDR was awarded a General Engineering Contract (GEC) with JAXPORT. JAXPORT asked HDR to prepare a revised report and conceptual plans to include materials and construction requirements necessary to conform to the grant requirements. To increase the service life of the rehabilitated track, HDR recommended replacing the existing concrete and wood ties with steel ties for much of the BIMT s two main segments. The steel ties will provide a service life of over 20 years and offer some advantages in terms of sustainability. In addition to being fabricated from recycled material, the ties will retain salvage value by being recyclable again at the end of their service life. Welded new 115# rail was used for all new steel tie track construction. 249

3 Borate-treated wood ties were used in an area along a mile-long segment that had previously been relocated to make room for Jacksonville Electric Authority s (JEA) St. Johns River Power Park. The 100# welded rail in this segment was in good condition and, along with a proper ballast section and accommodations for drainage, the borate ties will provide the specified service life. Some sections of track were not included in the rehabilitation project. Much of the track on the wharf has not been used for some time, and the track along the wharf has since become part of a separate major wharf renovation project. The 20-year service specification factored in to the design for the repair work for the 1545 long single track rail bridge crossing the St. Johns River. The existing bridge is a concrete structure that was originally constructed with the rail directly fixed to the concrete deck using clips and a single bolt on each side of the rail, with a spacing between clips of about 23 to 30 inches. HDR s original recommendations for the bridge were based on a maintenance approach and included replacing broken bolts and tightening any loose nuts. This strategy clearly would not be sufficient to meet the 20-year service life requirements established by the federal grant. For the revised plan, consideration was given to converting the structure to a ballast deck by adding curbs along the edges of the bridge. The space between the curbs would be filled with ballast, and steel tie track could then be constructed across the bridge without direct fixation to the deck. However, the load rating of the bridge would not permit this type of modification which would have added significant dead load to the structure. As an alternative, Pandrol SRS plates were used to replace all the aging clips. The Pandrol plates still were bolted directly to the deck, but they provide a better clipping system and a much larger bearing surface for the rail and the bridge deck. Figure 3 shows the typical layout for drilling new holes to accommodate the new plates. The extended service requirement also factored significantly in the specifications for atgrade rail/highway crossings. Of the 25 road crossings within the rail system, six were identified as having heavy traffic both in numbers and tonnage. To provide a heavy-duty surface that would last a minimum of 20 years, HDR specified concrete platform tub crossing surfaces for these crossings. A tub crossing consists of a large concrete slab placed on a prepared crushed concrete roadbed. The rail is recessed into and directly fixed to the concrete slab with rubber flange-way material inserted between the rail and the concrete. This type of surface provides a longer service life than standard concrete or rubber surfaces due to its mass and installation. The panels used for the BIMT Island are 20 feet long and 18 inches deep. Figure 4 shows a typical tub section. By contrast, standard full width concrete crossing panels are about 8 feet long and are no deeper than the rail size used; these concrete panels are lagged directly to the wooden ties and are subject to the dynamics of the track expanding and moving under the stresses of traffic. The tub crossing is a more rigid surface, making it an ideal choice for the more heavily used crossings in this project. Proper subgrade compaction is critical for the proper installation of a tub crossing system. For the more lightly used crossings, reconstruction was done with a rubber flange-way material and asphalt paving. PHASING THE WORK In addition to stipulating a 20-year service life, the federal grant also imposed a deadline for commencement of construction. HDR recommended dividing construction into two phases. 250

4 Phase 1 consisted of about two miles of track and the St. Johns River bridge rehabilitation work outside of the BIMT s secured terminal area. Phase 2 encompassed everything inside the secured area. HDR developed the Phase 1 bid documents, and then completed the Phase 2 bid documents while the Phase 1 work was underway. Atlas Railroad Construction began work on Phase 1 in April The Phase 1 work was basically a single track main line rehabilitation project on the Dames Point Spur. Borate-treated wood ties were installed in about 4874 feet of track that had previously been relocated for the JEA power plant; the existing 100# welded rail was retained in this section. For the remainder of the track work included in Phase 1 new 115# rail in 80 lengths was welded into strings using a portable arc welder and then used for the new steel tie track construction. The clip and rail replacement for the Saint Johns River Bridge as well as the replacement of two tub crossings and two rubber flange-way/asphalt crossings rounded out the Phase 1 work. Figure 5 shows the Saint Johns River bridge with new plates and clips. Obtaining track time to do the Phase 1 work was relatively simple. CSXT typically delivered an inbound train to the BIMT in the early morning hours. Switching at the BIMT facility itself was generally done during the daytime, and the outbound train would return north along the Dames Point Spur in late afternoon. This allowed the Phase 1 Contractor to take advantage of eight to 10 hour track outages during daylight hours to do the main line track work. The Phase 1 work was completed in October Southern National Track (SNT) began the Phase 2 work in October The Phase 2 worked proved to be much more challenging to execute on several fronts. SNT was not permitted to leave their equipment within the BIMT secured area overnight. Hence SNT had to ferry equipment and personnel every day from a staging area outside the BIMT. SNT s workers had to either obtain Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards and JAXPORT identification cards, or they were escorted by workers that possessed these documents. CSXT would typically switch the BIMT facility during daylight hours. Switching needs for the various JAXPORT customers is very dependent on schedules for ocean vessels. Hence the switching requirements were not able to be developed well in advance. SNT was able to construct track panels and assemble turnouts clear of active track. Track outages for actually installing these track components were available only at night and on weekends. Scheduling road crossing closures for renewal also proved to be challenging. In addition to truck traffic, considerable traffic is generated from automobiles that are unloaded from railcars that are in transit from staging areas to vessels. Many of the high volume crossings were not able to be closed for extended periods of time. Figure 6 shows a tub crossing and turnout with steel ties. The Phase 2 work was completed in October Beginning in January 2013, track maintenance responsibility was shifted from CSXT to JAXPORT. 251

5 CONCLUSIONS The track and bridge rehabilitation at the JAXPORT BIMT facility was completed in October 2012 at a total cost of approximately $7.7 Million. JAXPORT will benefit from reduced future maintenance costs since the rehabilitated track and bridge components will provide a service life of at least 20 years. The use of federal grant money required the use of materials with a long service life and presented challenges for how the design and construction were staged. In a very competitive business environment, JAXPORT will be able to depend on a reliable upgraded rail infrastructure system for years to come. 252

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10 FIGURE 5: JOHNS RIVER BRIIDGE SHOWING NEW PLATES AND CLIPS FIGURE 6: TYPICAL STEEL TIE TURNOUT AND TUB CROSSING 257

11 Jacksonville Port Authority Blount Island Marine Terminal Rail Improvements Jacksonville, FL Michael Shostak, PE Vice President Clinton Lalla, PE - Sr. Project Manager HDR Engineering, Inc. 258

JAXPORT FACTS Three Marine Terminals One Cruise Terminal Mayport Ferry 2012 Statistics 923,000 TEU s 8.

BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL 754 Acre Site Roll-on/roll- off, break-bulk, liquid bulk and heavy lift cargos

TERMINAL RAIL REHABILITATION Served via CSX Transportation Blount Island Spur 2008 Assessment Determined Capital

of Commerce Grant in Fall 2009 20 Year Service Life Required Work Done in 2 Separate Phases BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE

12 JAXPORT FACTS Three Marine Terminals One Cruise Terminal Mayport Ferry 2012 Statistics 923,000 TEU s 8.2 million tons of cargo 608,000 Autos: 2nd largest in U.S. BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL 754 Acre Site Roll-on/roll- off, break-bulk, liquid bulk and heavy lift cargos Significant auto import/export activities Extensive rail infrastructure constructed in 1960 s BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL RAIL REHABILITATION Served via CSX Transportation Blount Island Spur 2008 Assessment Determined Capital Upgrades Needed vs. Routine Maintenance Jaxport Awarded $6 Million Dept. of Commerce Grant in Fall Year Service Life Required Work Done in 2 Separate Phases BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION Interlaced Wood and Concrete Ties BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION 1545 Bridge Over St. Johns River Main Lead to Right off Bridge 259

BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE

Turnout Condition BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION BIMT

Feet wood tie replacement 2500 Track Feet total replacement with steel ties and

REHABILITATION PHASE 1 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 Bridge rail fasteners

13 BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION Deteriorated Crossing Typical Track and Turnout Condition BLOUNT ISLAND MARINE TERMINAL - BEFORE RAIL REHABILITATION BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 Phase 1 work outside Jaxport secured area 2300 Track Feet wood tie replacement 2500 Track Feet total replacement with steel ties and 115# rail 2 tub type crossings Typical Auto Unloading Pad Condition BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 Bridge rail fasteners replaced Scheduled work during week around CSXT trains Construction completed in October

14 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 Steel Tie Track Panel Steel Tie Track Panel In Place BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 Steel Tie Track Construction Switch to USMC Base BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION PHASE 1 Rail Fasteners on Bridge Completed Rail Fasteners on Bridge 261

Phase 2 work inside Jaxport secured area

to minimize train conflicts Work completed

asphalt crossings Tub Under Construction

15 Phase 2 work inside Jaxport secured area 15,000 track feet replacement with steel ties and 115# rail 24-#10 steel tie turnouts 4 tub type crossings Weekend work to minimize train conflicts Work completed in October rubber flangeway and asphalt crossings Tub Under Construction Completed Tub Type Crossing 262 Steel Tie Track Under Construction

16 Typical Steel Tie Track Auto Unloading Pad Steel Tie Turnout Ready for Installation Steel Tie Turnout Installed BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION SUMMARY Reduced Track Maintenance Durable Grade Crossing Surfaces Bridge Rail and Fasteners Upgraded 20 Year Service Life Total Construction Cost $7.7 Million Turnouts and Crossings 263

17 BIMT RAIL REHABILITATION SUMMARY Questions? 264

Select U.S. Ports Prepare For Panama Canal Expansion

Select U.S. Ports Prepare For Panama Canal Expansion Port of Jacksonville Grace Wang Associate Professor, Maritime Administration Texas A&M University at Galveston Galveston, Texas Anthony M. Pagano Director,