Port of Corpus Christi completes expansion with four more miles of channel frontage.

The Joe Fulton International Trade Corridor project (JFITC), on the north side of the inner harbor of the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, is open for business.

With nearly 12 miles of new and existing roadway coupled with seven miles of new rail line, the project will provide an additional four miles of frontage and 630 acres along the ship channel for development, and will improve access to existing property.

Former Port Chairman and namesake of the corridor Joe Fulton marked the occasion along with Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Commissioner Hope Andrade and former TxDOT Chairman David Laney, each sitting in separate tractor-trailers as they eased through the ceremonial ribbon to mark the official opening of the corridor.

"The Fulton Corridor represents a significant milestone at the Port of Corpus Christi as the most important infrastructure project since the completion of the Port's 45 foot channel project," observed current Port Chairman Ruben Bonilla. "The corridor will position the Port for economic expansion and vitality, a broader tax base and favorable job creation for generations to come."

The 630 acres offer one of the few remaining industrial sites in America served by a 45-foot deep channel and designated a State Strategic Investment Area with franchise tax credits available for job creation, investment and research. The acreage also offers Foreign Trade Zone and Industrial District status, Renewal Community designation eligible for Enterprise Zone designation, and EPA air quality standards in full attainment.

The Port led the $55 million development partnership for this project, with funding also provided by TxDOT, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Service of this inter-modal transportation link is expected to bolster the region's international trade opportunities by providing infrastructure for facilities that utilize road, rail and maritime services.

Meanwhile, TxDOT is completing the final design of a new $28 million project which will provide new frontage roads, entrance and exit ramp improvements and a direct connector, which will substantially improve the corridor's connection with IH-37 on the west end of the Fulton Corridor. This project will be phased and handled as two stages, with the first phase beginning in February and the second in August 2008. Both projects are scheduled for completion in mid-to-late 2009. On the east end, TxDOT is working on environmental clearance for improvements to the Harbor Bridge.