Port of Oakland wins key federal grant

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oakland-tribune/ci_21038897/port-oakland-wins-key-federal-grant

Three days after his high-speed rail triumph, Gov. Jerry Brown was in Oakland on Monday with a top Obama administration official to celebrate Washington's help in pressing ahead with a major freight project.

Joined by Mayor Jean Quan and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Brown heralded a $15 million federal grant to help the Port of Oakland expand its rail yard.

The $80 million rail yard expansion at the former Oakland Army Base is the first phase of a more than a $1 billion project to transform the base into a state-of-the-art logistics center managing cargo flow at the port.

The 35-acre facility will allow the port to service more freight trains, reduce truck traffic and provide additional rail capacity for the warehouses and logistics centers slated to open throughout much of the Army base.

The Army abandoned the 366-acre base in 1999 and later divided it between the port and the city. After several proposals fell through, both entities began working together on the logistics and warehousing plan that is projected to generate 2,810 construction jobs and 2,032 permanent jobs.