Railroad Supports Construction of and Service to Facility
Multiple businesses were utilizing Arkansas Midland Railroad’s (AKMD) Jackson Street rail spur in Monticello, Arkansas, to transport inbound raw materials or outgoing products. But the spur was located within a busy residential area – causing frequent delays at rail crossings throughout the community.
Monticello’s economic development director began working with AKMD on a solution: build a transload / reload facility at the Monticello Industrial Park, enabling AKMD to transfer freight to truck for final delivery to the customer. The city acquired a portion of the spur, then rehabilitated and extended track into the industrial park. Local in-kind resources and grant funds from multiple parties, including AKMD, area industries, Drew County and the Monticello Economic Development Commission, were used to construct the Monticello Public Rail Access transload facility within the complex. Arrow Reload Systems was selected to operate the facility once built.
As a result, Interfor completed a $46 million upgrade project at its Monticello mill.
As we increase our production and improve the quality of lumber we produce at our Monticello operation, the ability to move lumber into more distant markets will be very important. The partnership with AKMD, local leaders and the business community to make the reloading facility a reality took a lot of hard work over many years, and Interfor is grateful for the commitment.
Philip Starks, Interfor’s production coordinator
The transload facility provides other southeast Arkansas shippers with the option to ship via rail without having to be directly connected to track.