Most of what gets said about Alabama’s inland port is about potential: what it could become, what it’s not doing yet. That’s a real story, but there’s another one sitting under it. Alabama is losing money and jobs right now because of how its raw materials move, or stall out, through Birmingham’s Port and everything connected to it.
What’s Slipping Through Alabama’s Supply Chain
Right now, 70% of the raw material volume moving through Alabama’s inland port system leaves the state unprocessed. It arrives, then it’s gone again, without ever getting finished, packaged, or shipped from inside Alabama. The jobs and tax revenue tied to that work go with it. The estimated cost: $23 million a year.
Part of the problem is where the freight goes instead. Companies are diverting shipments through Georgia rather than routing them through Alabama’s own infrastructure, and the state loses jobs and tax revenue every time that happens.
The fix isn’t complicated to state, even if it’s harder to pull off: keep more of that material and processing in Alabama, lower the logistics costs pushing companies elsewhere, and turn that retained activity into local jobs.
Closing the Gap: BJCPA’s Inland Port Investments
BJCPA is working three angles at once: expanding port capabilities and amenities, developing brownfield sites, and recruiting companies to bring in long-term private investment and jobs.
The first is capacity. Planned crane upgrades will take the port’s operational handling rate from 375 tons per hour to 1,250 tons per hour, on a facility that’s still operating at roughly 5% of its total capacity. Same footprint, more than three times the throughput, with plenty of room left to grow.
The second is land, and not all of it starts out usable. The site at 3501 33rd Terrace North is 15.5 acres with a history of unauthorized dumping. It’s now in active remediation, with debris removal and rail spur installation bringing the total rehab cost to roughly $3.3 million. Once that’s done, a contaminated lot becomes industrial land with rail access.
Capacity and land only matter if someone uses them. BJCPA is advancing an 80,000-square-foot intermodal facility projected to generate more than $100 million in regional economic impact, giving companies that already move freight by barge, rail, and truck a reason to run it through Alabama instead of around it.
What It Adds Up To
None of this closes a 70% gap on its own. More capacity, usable land, and new tenants, together, are what it takes to keep that value in the state instead of losing it to Georgia.
About The Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority
BJCPA powers Alabama’s economic future by connecting river, road, and rail to move goods efficiently, create jobs, and drive growth across Birmingham and Jefferson County. Established in 2016, BJCPA operates under the State Port Authority’s legislation to oversee and promote Birmingham’s Port, a key inland hub linking the region to the national inland waterway system and the Gulf Coast.
Contact BJCPA to explore partnership and investment opportunities.