Press Release | 10/24/2024

USDOT Awards $80 Million Grant to Launch Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Smart Port

FORT WORTH, TX – (October 24, 2024) — In partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the City of Fort Worth and the City of Haslet, The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and Hillwood, a Perot Company, have been awarded $80 million from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program. The grant will transform the U.S. supply chain and increase supply chain resilience by providing regional, state and national leaders with real-time tracking of goods and services as they move through the new Smart Port at AllianceTexas, Hillwood’s 27,000-acre master-planned, mixed-use development. The AllianceTexas Smart Port was one of 44 projects chosen nationwide and the lone selection from Texas, with $4.2 billion in total funding allocated to this round of the INFRA and Project Assistance (MEGA) grant programs.

This $262 million public-private partnership, which includes $96 million of private sector investment, connects the AllianceTexas Inland Port, one of the nation’s critical supply chain hubs, to the Dallas-Fort Worth regional transportation network and its bigger state and national ecosystems, which include the Texas Connected Freight Corridor (TCFC) and the critical National Highway Freight Network corridors of Interstate 35 and Interstate 45.

“AllianceTexas is poised to redefine what it means to be a modern logistics hub,” said Ross Perot Jr., Chairman and CEO of Hillwood. “By integrating automation and forward-looking technologies through this grant, we will not only strengthen the national supply chain but also set a global benchmark for resilience and efficiency in port operations.”

The real-time tracking of goods and services will be coupled with a direct connector bridge from the heart of the AllianceTexas Inland Port facility to State Highway 170. The bridge will alleviate east-west freight traffic, taking trucks off Interstate 35W and a four-lane suburban road, and more efficiently routing them to their destination. By reducing traffic congestion, it will improve road safety, air quality, access to jobs and the quality of life for over 3 million area residents across Denton and Tarrant Counties. Approximately 4.2 million trucks move in and out of the BNSF Railway Alliance Intermodal Facility each year, and that number will nearly double by 2035.

The AllianceTexas Inland Port, ranked 15th nationally, is the primary port of entry for the southwestern United States, bringing shipped global goods directly from the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Houston via intermodal rail containers. In addition, AllianceTexas connects to nearshoring in Mexico and with more than half of all U.S. freight tonnage moving through Texas, it will also play a significant role in advancing the Texas Connected Freight Corridors Project, addressing freight safety and mobility needs. AllianceTexas’ global logistics hub is one of the nation’s largest intermodal hubs, connecting air (Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport), road (I-35/SH-170) and rail (BNSF Intermodal Facility).

The project will support AllianceTexas’ future intermodal growth, including new intermodal services to Mexico. The project will also help improve supply chain resilience through enhanced freight logistics, optimized freeway lane connections and integration of technologies to aid in the efficient movement of freight. 

“The award of an $80 million grant to the AllianceTexas Inland Port Project is a groundbreaking achievement made possible by the collaboration of leaders across the public and private sectors,” said Denton County Judge Andy Eads, who also serves on the Regional Transportation Council.

“By leveraging technology to improve supply chain resilience, this project allows Dallas-Fort Worth to serve as a transformative model for the efficient movement of goods to market. I would like to thank Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes, my colleague on the RTC, as well all dedicated leaders of the RTC and the legislative community from across Dallas-Fort Worth, for recognizing the importance of this project to the long-term economic outlook of the region, state and nation.”

Components of the award-winning project include: 

  • Add a State Highway 170/Intermodal Parkway Smart Connected Bridge: A technology/roadway connector from the BNSF Intermodal Facility to SH 170 to aid in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communication and connected/autonomous vehicle (CAV) deployment.
  • Build an integrated Intermodal Depot with BNSF Railway: Create a 32-acre container lot with drayage serviceability between BNSF’s Intermodal hub and over 14 million square feet of future, next-generation warehouse space.
  • Ensure long-term 5G communication network capacity: Provide long-term telecommunications infrastructure to support expanded semi- and fully autonomous technology capabilities, as well as boost public/private 5G network growth.
  • Add TruckPort for electric vehicle (EV) freight operations: Establish a regionally connected freight corridor node with EV/hydrogen charging units for short-/long-haul operation specializations.
  • Add independent and renewable energy micro-grid supporting future users: Ensure a strategically placed energy storage and management system to help mitigate demand spikes and improve resiliency against unforeseen energy impacts.
  • Connect Texas AV/EV Connected Freight Corridor: Institute a seamless platform for elevating inland port physical/technological connectivity in the 865-mile Texas Triangle, linking the DFW, Austin-San Antonio and Houston areas.

“The AllianceTexas Smart Port, a $262 million public private partnership, allows our supply chain to function more efficiently and more reliably than it ever has before and provide greater safety and reduced congestion on our state’s highway network,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “The project ties into the National Highway System, which includes the 865-mile Texas Connected Freight Corridor and its critical corridors I-35 and I-45.”

 

About the North Central Texas Council of Governments

NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG’s purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions. NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. For more information on the NCTCOG Transportation Department, visit NCTCOG.org/trans. 

About the Regional Transportation Council

The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 45 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. 

About AllianceTexas

Developed by Hillwood, AllianceTexas is an unparalleled regional success story that has transformed the North Texas economy and connected the area to global industry. Consisting of 27,000 acres, the development is anchored by the world’s first dedicated industrial airport, Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW), and hosts one of the nation’s premier intermodal hubs. Today, AllianceTexas is home to 575 companies that have created more than 66,000 direct jobs and have approximately 58 million square feet of developed commercial real estate assets. The development’s cumulative impact since 1989 is an estimated $120 billion for the North Texas region. For additional information, please visit www.alliancetexas.com.

The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) spans the 27,000-acre industrial-focused, public-private ecosystem that brings policymakers and industry innovators together to propel surface and air mobility forward. By leveraging its one-of-a-kind infrastructure, the MIZ offers unparalleled resources to comprehensively scale and commercialize the latest logistics and mobility technologies. For more information on the AllianceTexas MIZ and how your organization can be part of this industry-shaping environment, visit www.alliancetexasmiz.com.