A quarry in Jamesville may soon become the location for a 290-acre inland port that would serve as a freight transportation hub in the Central New York area for the port of NY/NJ and the port of Oswego.
The proposed port site is located along the north side of Route 481 in the towns of DeWitt and a small portion in the town of Onondaga, a location currently owned by Hanson Aggregates North America. The project, called the CenterState NY Inland Port, is being proposed by the Port of Oswego Authority, which would operate the facility by handling, warehousing and shipping freight between the ports of Oswego and NY/NJ.
The port would provide regional manufacturers and businesses with a centrally located, inland container, bulk cargo, warehousing and shipping facility, according to a draft document of the project. According to the Port of Oswego Authority website, it will reduce costs for regional manufacturers, allowing for the provision of long-term jobs, company and industry growth and increases in exports to go along with regional and national export initiatives.
“I think the job opportunity is great for CNY it will certainly advantage current business in area and be a venue of others whom will consider CNY their future home. Central New York can certainly use some good employment news and some assurance that the current manufacturing and exporting will continue to make CNY their base of operations,” said Zelko Kirincich, CEO of the Port of Oswego Authority.
According to the Sept. 30 draft scoping document for the project, the inland port would consist of four major components: about 11,000 feet of new rail siding and 9,000 feet of loading/offloading track; a container and stacking area where intermodal shipping containers are aggregated prior to dispatch to port, incoming containers are stored for clearance and where empty containers await onward movement; warehousing facilities where cargo is received, stored and/or delivered and containers are filled, emptied and/or consolidated: and a Gate Complex and Administrative Center which regulates the entry and exit of road vehicles carrying cargo and containers through the terminal and where documentation, security and container inspection procedures are undertaken.
The State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process for the project has already begun, and a public meeting was held Oct. 13 at Jamesville Elementary. More than 150 citizens were in attendance, and some addressed concerns with the port being close to their communities.
The inland port project in Jamesville has already been supported by many legislative entities, municipalities and groups, including U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman John Katko, Secretary to the U.S. Department of Transportation Anthony Fox, the city of Auburn, Fingerlakes Railway and the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council.
Comments on the proposed project are being taken until Oct. 24 by emailing [email protected] or mail to Port of Oswego Authority, Zelko Kirincich, 1 East Second Street Oswego NY, 13126.
