Port of Benton Lands $9.56MM Federal Grant

Every year, 1.3 million tons of freight travel along the Port’s 16-mile Southern Connection Rail Line. Union Pacific and BNSF serve the port, which handles agricultural products, breakbulk, bulk, heavy lift, project cargo, and ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off).

The Port of Benton on Jan. 9 announced that it planned to replace 12,000 rail ties, as well as the entire one mile of Wye track, including the ties and ballast, as part of the project. Additionally, it will upgrade three miles of track “along elevated curves to heavier-duty track to accommodate longer unit trains.”

The Port will also replace at-grade crossing panels and signal equipment, according to USDOT, which awarded the project grant under its FY 2025 RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) discretionary grant program. Construction is expected to start in July 2026.

USDOT on Jan. 10 announced $1.32 billion in Round 1 awards from the RAISE program for 109 projects across the country, part of the Department’s larger announcement of nearly $5 billion in grant awards through RAISE and six other programs (Railroad Crossing Elimination Program; Restoration and Enhancement Grants Program; Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program; Airport Infrastructure Grants Program; Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program; and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program).

Port of Benton Executive Director Diahann Howard commented: “With these much-needed improvements, the track can return to Class II conditions, allowing train speeds to return to 25 mph. The increased speeds will reduce the time a unit train blocks an intersection from as much as 18 minutes to as little as four minutes. This reduction will shorten vehicle travel times and lessen the impact to fire and emergency vehicles, greatly improving public safety.”

“The project will improve rail service efficiency and reliability which will reduce emissions for idling vehicles waiting at road-rail crossings,” USDOT added. “Also, by improving and updating short line freight service capacity and reliability will encourage a modal shift to move goods via rail instead of truck which will reduce transportation related greenhouse gas emission and improve air quality.”

In a related development, Port of Benton on Jan. 9 reported that with the City of Richland, it recently finalized phase I of an industrial land transfer in north Richland. “The land exchange will allow the port to utilize the property for an expanded intermodal facility adjacent to its existing industrial property and rail assets,” it noted.