The Alliance Global Logistics Hub, which houses the AllianceTexas development, has been named the No. 1 general purpose foreign-trade zone in the U.S. in terms of the amount of foreign merchandise admitted into the zone, according to the Foreign-Trade Zone Board’s 68th annual report to Congress.
Data from 2006, which is the most recent information available, shows more than $4 billion in foreign products admitted into the zone.
Representatives with Hillwood Properties, the developer of AllianceTexas, expect capital improvements in the trade area to increase the number of products passing through the hub in the near future.
“With the recent capital improvement programs at the airport, the intermodal rail facility and the highways at Alliance, Hillwood expects the $4 billion annually in foreign goods admitted to the zone to grow significantly,” said Steve Boecking, vice president of Hillwood Properties.
The Alliance hub is trailed by Port Hueneme in California; the Newark/Elizabeth hub in New Jersey; the Harris County hub in Texas; and the El Paso hub in Texas — all of which rank in the top five of the U.S. hubs with the most merchandise admitted into the zone.
To handle more capacity, Fort Worth-Alliance Airport is in the process of extending its on-site runways by 11,000 feet. In addition, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway has completed a $32 million capital improvement program, which includes new entry/exit gates, bridges and nine additional miles of track to handle the shipment of goods.