The Iowa Crossroad of Global Innovation Industrial Agricultural Park (ICGI) houses two existing ethanol production facilities and a lysine manufacturing facility and is located adjacent to the intersection of two class one rail provider, the Canadian National (CN) and Union Pacific (UP), as well as Iowa Highway 7. With the site located adjacent to two major rail roads that can transport to virtually anywhere in the country, the interest is high from industry to develop the 1,290 acres and incorporate a transload facility in the area.
The team of McClure and SRF Consulting Group were hired by Webster County to lead, facilitate, and perform a transload study of the site that will review the potential for expanding the rail capabilities of the area and add benefit by constructing a rail port transload facility to transfer products between truck and train freight movement systems and provide dual rail service to ICGI.
As part of our work, we are performing an in-depth traffic and rail modeling and interactions utilizing VISSIM 3D simulations, creating multiple site concepts and development options for the park, leading conversations with potential investors, developing a facility operation plan, soliciting for a rail operator, performing a benefit-cost analysis, and funding research to identify future potential funding and grants.