A new $5 million project at the Port of Oswego will soon allow them to load grain faster aboard ships and upgrade its rail car loading/unloading processing from two cars at a time to six.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, secured a $4 million grant though the federal Economic Development Administration, and the Port recently received a $1 million NY State grant to fund the upgrades. “This is also part of our expanding efforts to make it easier for the more than 100 regional farmers who work with us to export grain,” said William Scriber, executive director and CEO, Port of Oswego Authority (POA). “As the only port on Lake Ontario, our grain storage and handling facility is of critical importance to both regional farmers and NY state’s presence in international markets. It’s part of our continuing investment in the expansion and support for both our commercial and agricultural markets. We especially want to thank Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for his support in securing this funding for our port and the jobs and economic gains it will generate.”
With the purchase of a new, $2 million, state-of-the-art telescoping conveyor, the Port will be able to dramatically raise its grain ship loading speed from 18,000 bushels an hour to at least 30,000 bushels an hour, Scriber said. “This will totally transform our grain operation. The conveyor also has a dust control system and an articulating head that allows for pinpoint accuracy in grain loading. In addition, this conveyor is also portable and self-propelled so it can be removed when not in use and used elsewhere for other applications, so it does not permanently obstruct views of the mouth of the river and Lake Ontario from the south.”
Following the recent construction of the grain silo, which can store up to 790,000 bushels, the Port has been experiencing an increase in demand for the number of rail cars it is handling for inbound and outbound grain, Scriber said. There has also been an increase in the number of inbound shipments of large aluminum ingots over the years. Another portion of the grants will allow the Port to upgrade key areas of its existing 1961 era tracks, along with constructing new storage tracks. All railroad tracks located on Port property are owned by the Port.
To accommodate the expansion of rail service, 540 feet of two existing tracks located on the east side of Domes 2, 3 and 4, and south of the Silo Unloading Pit will be removed and replaced with one 350-feet-long track. The present configuration of track allows only two coupled railcars to be processed through the silo at a time, which is very inefficient, Scriber said. “The upgrade will allow six rail cars at one time to remain coupled and processed through the silo, which will save time, increase efficiency, and productivity.” In addition, one new 1,250-feet-long storage track along the south side of the existing Port Fitzgibbons Rail Yard will be constructed. “This will provide capacity for an additional 15 rail cars to be handled by the Port and exchanged with CSX,” Scriber said.
The Port of Oswego set a record year in 2022. Shipping alone was up over 300% compared to 2021, and the port—an intermodal center— generated considerable economic impact through a combination of shipping, rail and truck transport, Scriber said. A recently released US/Canadian research study shows that over the past five years, the Port made a $513 million impact on its local and regional economy. As part of this, the Port generated $201.2 million in wages, salaries, and local consumption expenditures in the regional economy and supported 2,229 jobs by its maritime activity.
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