Published: 20-Oct-2010

BNSF Railway Company has selected TJ Lambrecht Construction and Walsh Construction as the primary civil contractor to construct its new intermodal facility southwest of Kansas City in Edgerton, Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has announced that an agreement has been finalized for a $35 million grant to BNSF from the state’s Rail Assistance Program.

BNSF’s new 443-acre intermodal facility will reportedly build upon the rail’s existing environmental advantages by setting a new standard for efficiency and low-emissions in the rail industry.

The new intermodal facility will feature wide-span electric cranes that produce zero emissions on-site and automatic gate systems to speed up the movement of traffic entering and departing the facility, further improving efficiency and reducing emissions. The facility will also incorporate an approximate 60-acre conservation corridor for water quality benefits to the area.

BNSF aims to begin construction planning before the end of 2010 and site preparation and facility construction are expected to commence in 2011.

The contractor has a commitment with BNSF to hire at least 85% of its workforce locally in the Kansas City area, to hire employees and subcontractors at the prevailing wage, and to use Minority and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for a significant amount of the work. The project will reportedly generate an estimated 660 construction jobs.

The $35 million grant from the Rail Assistance Program will be repaid from the state utilities sales tax generated on the intermodal facility and the separate logistics park development.

Deb Miller, Kansas Transportation Secretary, was reported stating that the rail grant not only helps get the project underway but will also support a long-term investment that will create about 8,700 jobs at full build-out and have huge economic returns for the state.