Birmingham’s little-known commercial port on the Black Warrior River will be getting a big boost, thanks to a U.S. Department of Transportation grant the City Council accepted Tuesday.
City Councilor Hunter Williams said the $40 million grant from the Port Infrastructure Development Program is a huge win for Birmingham – and for its maritime facility, known as Birmingport.
“Most people do not know that Birmingham has an inland port,” Williams said. “It is one of the biggest assets of Birmingham that I think traditionally has been utilized, but perhaps underutilized. What this will do is it will allow water-flow cargo to go from Birmingport and get onto Class I railways that then can be disseminated across the state and across the nation.”
In other words, it’s a place where goods can move from a barge to a train.
Birmingport, located on the Black Warrior River’s Locust Fork in west Birmingham, is the only rail-served port in central Alabama, according to Watco, the company that operates the port and is providing a match for the grant.
The city will use grant funds to deepen the port’s navigation channel, Williams said. It also will modernize equipment for loading and unloading barges.
Williams said the improvements will allow more goods to travel through Birmingham, using the waterway to connect with not only rail lines but also interstate highways that intersect in the city.
He added that expanding transit options means economic development that will ultimately impact residents.
“We're opening the doors for more and more businesses to come to the city of Birmingham,” he said. “So obviously that means jobs.”
And maybe more people knowing that Birmingham has a port.
Council rescinds changes to nightclub ordinance
Also on Tuesday, the City Council decided to return to the drawing board to draft new rules for bars and restaurants open late at night.
The move followed backlash from businesses and Mayor Randall Woodfin’s lack of support after the council approved amendments last week to the Kelvyn Felder Ordinance. The law is named after a 21-year-old stabbed to death in 2009 at a Birmingham nightclub.
The changes would have required establishments to employ two or three state-certified police officers. They also mandated detailed, written safety plans.
The council rescinded its approval of the measure, sending it back to a committee for revisions. City councilors and the mayor said they would gather more feedback from the hospitality community.
“We don't dislike business,” Council President Wardine Alexander said. “What we do want to ensure is that people who are entertained and coming to our establishments – we maintain a safe environment. And so this is an opportunity for us to pull this back, look at each of those amendments, and to have an opportunity to gain the additional input that we'd like to seek for this.”
