COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved grants to support a pair of rail infrastructure projects in the state.
In a Nov. 9 meeting, the commission approved $1 million in support for $5.1 million in rail projects at the JSW Steel USA facility in Mingo Junction, Ohio, and a $125,000 grant for the rail infrastructure at a new Louis Dreyfus Co. soybean processing facility near Upper Sandusky.
The projects at Mingo Junction are part of a $145 million expansion of the JSW Steel facitity. One involves enlargement of a yard shared by Norfolk Southern and Wheeling & Lake Erie, increasing capacity from 184 cars to 351, as well as an interplant loop track to improve logistics. The second will add approximately 3,360 linear feet of track and four new switxhes to improve the yard handling scrap and iron storage to support 125,000 tons of slab production monthly.
“Rail transportation is one of the many aspects that are integral to everyday business operations and is vital to the steel industry,” Jonathan Shank, chief operating officer of JWS Steel USA Mingo Junction, said in a press release. “We look forward to our partnership with the [rail commission], which gives us confidence to continue to invest in Ohio Valley. Investing in our infrastructure will facilitate successful completion of our growth projects.”
The Louis Dreyfus plant, a $541 million facility, is expected to generate 500 railcars of annual traffic. The plant will be a processing facility where soybeans are cleaned, cracked, dehulled, and rolled into flakes to separate the oil and meal components during processing.
“The new rail infrastructure will be a tremendous asset to Louis Dreyfus to move its products and will result in less truck traffic on Ohio’s highways. We are pleased to assist this company and support their efforts in the region,” Matthew Dietrich, executive director, Ohio Rail Development Commission, said in a press release.
