
The massive Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail hub and logistics project in Arizona has taken a significant step forward with the support of the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission.
The project is set to be built on some 6,000 acres that the railroad company purchased in 2022 for nearly $50 million during an Arizona State Land Trust auction. Exact project site: off U.S. Route 60 in the unincorporated community of Wittman, just under 50 miles to the northwest of Phoenix.
As envisioned, the project would see the construction of a large logistics center and intermodal facility. Additional construction will include the building of around 18 million square feet of warehouse space.
In giving its vote on the project, the planning and zoning commission approved a comprehensive plan amendment for the site, clearing the way for a final vote by the county’s Board of Supervisors on December 11.
Critics of the project include the incoming mayor of the city of Surprise, located 21 miles to the northwest of the planned site, who has said that traffic to and from the logistics park will overburden the area’s current road network.
While acknowledging the economic benefits of the project, Kevin Sartor said it will put pressure on a road infrastructure, “which already fails to meet the demands of our growing community.”
A document sent to the planning and zoning commission has estimated that the project will generate “an additional 22,000 semi-truck trips per year.”
The project, which will serve as a transfer hub for all rail shipments via standardized trailers and containers has been characterized as essential to increasing BNSF’s network capacity.
Earlier this summer, Jon Gabriel, vice president of service design for the company, remarked that as BNSF adapts to “shifting marketplace needs, evolving supply chains, and significant technological advancements, we identified a need for additional rail capacity in the Phoenix metro area.”
November 14, 2024
By Garry Boulard
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay