Articles

Port of Cleveland to Modernize Facility with Three New Construction Projects in 2020-21

Renovation and construction will create jobs, spur economic activity and bring new cargos

  • Three new construction projects at the Port of Cleveland are approved and set to modernize its facilities related to port maritime and logistics operations.
  • “We’re resilient and we’re going to be the best-positioned port on the Great Lakes to handle the cargos of today and the future,” said Port of Cleveland president and CEO William Friedman.
  • The Port of Cleveland is beginning construction to modernize critical import/export terminals Dock 24 and 26.
  • To prepare for increased bulk cargo demand in 2020 and beyond, the Port is extending the Cleveland bulk terminal ore conveyance tunnel.
  • New construction for the general terminal access road and main gate will create two lanes in and out of the port and increased vehicle capacity.

At its March Board Meeting, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority announced the approval of three new construction projects related to port maritime and logistics operations. The projects include the rehabilitation of the general cargo terminal Dock 24 and 26W, creation of a new general cargo terminal access road and main gate and extension of the Cleveland bulk terminal ore conveyance tunnel.

“With these projects, including our recently completed bulkhead renovation, our port is able to modernize infrastructure last updated during the 1950s and 1960s,” said Port of Cleveland president and CEO William Friedman. “We’re resilient and we’re going to be the best-positioned port on the Great Lakes to handle the cargos of today and the future.”

Preparing to double cargo volumes: General cargo terminal dock 24 & 26W rehabilitation project

In February, the Port of Cleveland was a recipient of an $11 million infrastructure development grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The grant allows for the modernization of critical import/export terminals Dock 24 and 26. This transformational project enables the Port of Cleveland to compete for the cargos of today while preparing to double cargo volumes over the next 20 years. The construction includes typical rehabilitations to fenders, bollards, the elevation of docks, implementation of stormwater drainage, and structural pavements details. Overall, the Port’s reinvestment will modernize more than fifty percent of its dock infrastructure.

Enhancing storage and blending: Cleveland bulk terminal ore conveyance tunnel extension project

To prepare for increased bulk cargo demand in 2020 and beyond, the Port is extending the Cleveland bulk terminal ore conveyance tunnel. The current 362-foot tunnel stores iron ore brought from ranges on vessels and then loads the iron ore on river-class vessels which navigate the Cuyahoga River to its final destination. The tunnel extension will allow for improved taconite quality, the ability to blend multiple grades of taconite, reduced taconite rehandling, a more environmentally conscious approach through plug-in electrical connections to portable conveyors, reduced facility emissions, and enhanced load out efficiencies. The extension of the tunnel will create a higher demand for taconite and other bulk commodities resulting in an overall tonnage increase.

Increasing vehicle capacity: General cargo terminal access road & main gate project

The general cargo terminal access road and main gate serves as the main entrance to the Port for trucks, employees and visitors. New construction set to be complete in late fall 2020, will create two lanes in and out of the port, increased vehicle capacity, expanded access to the W 3rd cargo laydown area, enhanced security and data collection system, a fiberoptic feed installed for enhanced communications, aesthetic enhancements, and the introduction of a frequent user lane for Port employees, International Longshoreman’s Association employees and routine visitors.

by Port of Cleveland

Exhaustive Studies of Project Icebreaker

Originally published in Crain’s Cleveland Business

The June 16 opinion piece in Crain’s regarding Project Icebreaker, the proposed Lake Erie wind energy demonstration project, begs a response. In full disclosure, I serve on the board of the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. (LEEDCo), the wind energy project’s nonprofit sponsor.

The author calls for additional environmental review of the project despite exhaustive reviews already conducted by numerous public agencies at the federal, state and local level. In truth, this project has been studied nearly to death. The findings contained in the voluminous reports and analyses, which regulators relied on to issue their permits, speak for themselves: The project poses very minimal environmental risk. Thanks to years of hard work by project proponents, we are finally poised to build it, propelling Cleveland to the forefront of a burgeoning energy sector.

At the federal level alone, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) completed a two-year environmental impact assessment of the project. DOE’s massive review, conducted with input from other federal agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, concluded last year with the issuance of a “Finding of No Significant Impact.” The DOE report reads, “The proposed project will not significantly adversely affect any endangered or threatened species or any critical habitat,” and it further concludes there would be no potential for population-level impacts to any species of birds. Furthermore, any future offshore wind project would have to undergo the same rigorous regulatory reviews.

As the first freshwater wind energy installation in North America, Project Icebreaker represents a once- in-a-generation (perhaps a lifetime) opportunity to vault Cleveland to the forefront of an industry poised for explosive growth. The first U.S. offshore wind project, a pilot like ours, went into operation in December 2016 off the coast of Block Island, R.I. In just two-and-a-half years, a wave of projects are now in the development pipeline along the Eastern Seaboard, representing at least $70 billion in new investment. European countries have installed more than 4,500 turbines in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea that generate enough energy to power 14 million homes. Asian countries are now moving very quickly to harness their offshore wind resource. When built at scale, offshore wind energy projects are now competitive, with zero subsidy, with all other energy sources.

Establishing Cleveland as a leader in offshore wind energy is not only good for the environment and smart energy policy, it holds significant economic development potential — meaning new jobs and investments in Ohio. Ohio already has a formidable wind energy component-part manufacturing presence. Picture Ohio-made wind turbine components shipped around the world from the Port of Cleveland and skilled Ohio workers meeting the demands of a growing industry here and abroad. With Mother Nature providing a world-class wind resource and good old Ohio ingenuity powering the supply chain, we have very real and substantial comparative advantages in this sector that we’d be foolish to squander.

Resistance to change is an all-too-familiar drag on progress. Let’s not look back with regret because others seized the day.

by William Friedman