OAKLAND, CALIF. - The Port of Oakland this week took a major step forward in its plans to modernize facilities and give the railroad easier access to the seaport.

On June 15, 1999, the Port of Oakland's Board Commissioners certified the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Port's Joint Intermodal Terminal (JIT) Project and adopted a comprehensive mitigation monitoring and reporting program. This action allows the Port to proceed with soliciting for bids on plans and specifications for development of all phases of the JIT. The planned JIT will be a 170-acre near-dock, high capacity intermodal railyard that will occupy portions of the former Navy Fleet and Industrial Supply Center.

Construction of Phase I is scheduled to begin in the latter part of 1999 and be completed in late 2000. More than 200 construction and other related jobs are expected to be created over the life of the project.

The JIT will provide the much needed space for intermodal (ship to rail) cargo distribution, and provide more efficient cargo throughput by consolidating interspersed intermodal local rail yards into one large near-dock terminal. The JIT will enable the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad direct train access to the Port's marine terminals, thereby reducing cargo drayage via truck over local roads to their existing Richmond railyard. The JIT will also provide Union Pacific the ability to expand existing operations if or when they reach capacity.

The final EIR includes a comprehensive air quality mitigation program for which the Port has committed some $9 million. The program will help reduce air pollution from equipment and facilities that are neither owned nor operated by the Port, including trains, transport trucks, container yard equipment or ships that use Port facilities. Additionally, the Port has earmarked approximately $1.6 million for traffic impact mitigations, such as street widening, intersection improvements, and re-striping.

"We fully expect that the JIT will create enough capacity to handle the projected growth of international intermodal business well into the next century," commented John Loh, president, Port of Oakland Board Commissioners. "Increased market demand for intermodal services will determine how much more we build out the JIT beyond Phase 1," he added.

The Port of Oakland, established in 1927, is an independent department of the City of Oakland employing some 560 people. The Port extends approximately 19 miles along the east side of the Oakland Estuary from the border of the City of Emeryville immediately north of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, south to the border of the City of San Leandro. Port facilities include four major marine terminal areas covering almost 565 acres; the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport which covers an area of over 2,500 acres; 1,100 acres of commercial, industrial, recreational and other land; 950 acres of underdeveloped land; and about 9,700 surface acres of water area.

The Port of Oakland encompasses three significant business enterprises: the maritime Port of Oakland, Oakland International Airport, and a variety of commercial real estate developments, including Jack London Square.

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