SPARROWS POINT, Md. — A federal team toured the site of a major port expansion project in Sparrows Point on Monday, which developers say could bring thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity to Maryland.
WATCH: Federal team tours Sparrows Point terminal project site
The executive director of the federal Permitting Council visited Tradepoint Atlantic, viewing the site of the proposed Sparrows Point Container Terminal project, which could dramatically grow the Port of Baltimore's capacity.
The federal Permitting Council coordinates permitting across federal agencies for major infrastructure projects.
"[The project] drastically expands the port's resiliency, gives us the opportunity to bring industry and jobs back into this area, and really is a testament to this partnership between the private sector and the federal and state government to bring jobs back to an area that would've otherwise been left abandoned," said Emily Domenech, executive director of the Permitting Council.
In a few years, the site could feature large ship-to-shore cranes similar to those at Dundalk and Seagirt terminals.
If approved, developers expect the project to create about 1,000 union jobs and another 7,000 indirect jobs at the port, along with $1.5 billion in economic activity each year.
The 168-acre terminal would require a new wharf and dredging to accommodate larger ships. The proposal has led to environmental concerns from some neighbors in eastern Baltimore County.
Tradepoint Atlantic says the potential environmental impacts have been extensively studied, and the company expects a final report, including those impacts and mitigation efforts, by the end of the year.
"We understand what the material is, what's in the material, how it's going to be handled, and the permits around all of that. So that whole process is designed to provide assurance and certainty to the public," said Aaron Tomarchio, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Tradepoint Atlantic.
Tomarchio called the federal team "incredibly supportive."
"I think they see the value in taking an underperforming brownfield site and repositioning it to support our industrial economy in the United States, and they understand the complexities of doing such a project," Tomarchio said.
If permits are granted, leaders expect construction to begin next year and the terminal to open around 2028, the same year leaders expect the new Key Bridge to be completed.
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