Construction is underway on a new half-mile rail spur at Port Manatee Commerce Center (PMCC) directly connecting the industrial warehouse complex near Port Manatee to all of North America via CSX Transportation rail lines.

PMCC manages 7 industrial warehouse buildings at the entrance to Port Manatee and provides storage services to port tenants, distributors and other local businesses.

“This rail project puts the finishing touches on our multi-modal property,” explains Kevin Button, operations manager for PMCC. “At the completion of this project we will have 360,00 square feet of industrial storage located near two deep water sea ports (Port of Tampa and Port Manatee) with land, water and rail access. Three of our buildings will be directly served by rail – not many industrial properties can put those attributes on their resume”, says Mr. Button.

CJ Bridges Rail Road Contractors (CJBRR) based in Mulberry, Florida was awarded the construction contract. According to Tommy Chauncey, vice president of CJBRR, “this project will employ approximately 20 people during construction which is expected to last several months. We currently have several projects underway in the same general vicinity which allows us to shift our crews when required by CSX and maintain productivity.”

“This new CSX rail connection enhances Port Manatee Commerce Center’s profile with business owners looking to relocate, said Jill VanderPol, communications manager for Port Manatee. “Eight million Floridians live within a two-hour drive of this port and having exceptional intermodal connectivity gets products to consumers quickly.”

“We have been marketing our industrial project and promoting the rail spur at recent trade shows,” Mr. Button continues. “We are getting interest from companies outside the state of Florida who may be interested in re-locating within the general vicinity of Port Manatee. Anytime you have land, rail and sea access near a sea port – you get a lot of attention. This is the type of economic activity Florida needs.”