If you’ve driven near the Black Warrior River or worked in one of Alabama’s freight-dependent industries, you’ve likely seen the movement that keeps our region running: barges on the river, railcars on the line, and trucks on the interstate.
What many people might not realize is that all those systems meet at the Birmingham Port, a connection that fuels regional growth by supporting jobs and expanding access to products and materials businesses rely on. And the Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority (BJCPA) is the public organization dedicated to strengthening and growing that connection for the benefit of the entire region.
BJCPA has partnered with Markstein to unveil a new brand and a new website (bjcportauthority.com) to make our mission clearer, our opportunities quicker to find, and our impact easier to understand. This update reflects our renewed commitment to powering economic development in Central Alabama through modern, efficient inland port infrastructure and strong public-private partnerships.
What is the Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority?
BJCPA is a public organization that was created in 2016 through a partnership between the City of Birmingham and Jefferson County. It exists to strengthen freight logistics in Alabama by linking rail, river, and road logistics into one coordinated inland freight system.
The Authority oversees and promotes the economic growth of port assets across the Birmingham metro region, anchored by the Port of Birmingham terminal in Birmingport on the Black Warrior River. The terminal itself is privately owned and operated by Watco, while BJCPA works to expand its value to the region by aligning infrastructure planning, partnerships, and investment.
What is the Birmingham Port?
The Birmingham Port is Alabama’s inland port gateway for heavy industry and bulk commodities. Each year it moves more than 2.1 million tons of cargo, the equivalent of about 87,000 truckloads. Those volumes support steel, construction, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and more. Its advantage is multimodal freight connection:
- River access via the Black Warrior River to the national inland waterway system and the Gulf of Mexico
- Rail access to three Class I railroads: BNSF, CSX, and Norfolk Southern
- Road access to four major interstates serving regional and national routes
For shippers and manufacturers, this industrial transportation hub means goods can move cheaper and faster, with more flexibility and less congestion on highways.
For communities, it means safer roads, reduced emissions, and economic resilience built on a stronger supply chain infrastructure in Alabama.
The Birmingport Industrial Corridor: Alabama inland port infrastructure in action
The Port of Birmingham does not stand alone. It sits within the Birmingport Industrial Corridor, a network of terminals that together form Central Alabama’s inland freight connection. This corridor is one of the most capable rail, river, and road logistics clusters in the Southeast, and it still has substantial room to grow.
Key facilities include:
- Port of Birmingham Terminal (Watco)
- Ergon terminal
- Parker Towing Birmingham Marine Terminal
- Miller Terminal
- Lynn Port/Larpen Metallurgical Service
Explore the new site and partner with BJCPA
Whether you’re a manufacturer looking for river and rail freight solutions, a logistics provider seeking a multimodal freight connection, or a site selector evaluating inland port infrastructure, you’ll find straightforward pathways to the information and contacts you need on bjcportauthority.com.
BJCPA is actively looking to connect with companies exploring new freight options, industrial sites, or public-private partnerships in logistics. Please fill out the contact form on our site, and a member of our team will follow up with details on next steps.