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Port Houston proposes phased 'Southern Access Road' and readies rail spur; residents press for faster truck relief
Summary
Port Houston presented a phased Southern Access Road and a near‑complete rail spur to Bayport, aiming to add a second entry and ease truck congestion; the port seeks 30% design completion by year‑end and hopes to begin a first phase as early as 2026.
Port Houston officials told Seabrook residents that the authority is advancing a multi‑phase Southern Access Road to provide a second access point to the Bayport complex and ease truck congestion at the existing single‑entry gate. The port also said a rail spur serving a new resin packaging facility is nearing completion and expected to enter service soon.
Why it matters: The Bayport terminals generate high truck volumes. Residents and elected officials pressed the port and TxDOT for faster relief, arguing that partial solutions could shift truck traffic onto local streets unless direct connectors or flyovers are built.
Plan and schedule: "Design completing at the end of the year. We hope for the first phase, to begin as early as, you know, first of 26," said Ryan Mariacher, Port Houston operations division. Port staff said the road will be built in phases to accelerate early relief while longer‑term direct connectors or flyovers would require regional planning and funding and could take a decade or more to deliver.
Rail spur and operations: Port staff said the rail spur work remaining is minor signaling, pavement and striping, and that a terminal tenant — a resin packaging warehouse — expects to be operating by the end of the year. Port representatives said the rail work includes storage tracks to reduce at‑grade switching at public crossings and that they will pursue a Federal Railroad Administration quiet‑zone designation for the public crossings that already exist on the feeder and Old 146.
Truck processing and congestion management: Residents asked why backups extend onto 146 when much of the delay appears to be at the port gate. Port officials described operational changes already made, including a mandatory appointment system and technology upgrades that raised pre‑advised truck transactions from under 10% to roughly 60–80%, which the port said reduced gate processing times and yard dwell. "We're very focused on not moving the bottleneck," said Jordan Frisby, Director of Technical and Business Analytics, Port Houston. The port said it also is working with industry partners to shift arrivals and expand hours of operation.
Funding and regional coordination: Staff said funding for direct connectors or flyovers would require regional support through the Houston‑Galveston Area Council (HGAC) and other partners. Port and residents differ on sequencing — some residents urged building grade‑separated flyovers first — while the port said it must pursue shorter, fundable phases first to deliver relief more quickly.
Community concerns: Residents urged stronger enforcement of truck speed and lane rules on 146, requested more aggressive noise mitigation and landscaping, and asked the port to press trucking partners to limit use of engine compression brakes (Jake brakes) and other avoidable noise. Port staff said they would carry those requests to industry partners and to the rail operators.
Next steps: Port Houston will complete 30% design work and return for additional public feedback. The authority and TxDOT will coordinate project phasing and regional funding requests; the port will continue to pursue quiet‑zone designation and finalize the rail spur punchlist so tenant operations can begin.
