Hillwood, the developer of AllianceTexas, will be building a “smart port” at its inland port in far north Fort Worth. The project is supported by an $80 million federal grant awarded earlier this week. The grant, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America initiative, was awarded to the North Central Texas Council of Governments in collaboration with the Texas Department of Transportation, Hillwood and the cities of Fort Worth and Haslet. It was the only project in Texas to be selected in this round of grant funding. Alliance’s inland port is the southwest’s main port of entry, according to Hillwood. It links air, rail and road transportation through the Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the BNSF Alliance Intermodal Facility and nearby Interstate 35W and Texas 170. The smart port is expected to transform Alliance’s already bustling inland port by adding infrastructure and technology to support more efficient mobility of freight and electric vehicles. The $262 million project will be supported by a mix of public and private funds, including $96 million of private investment.
Regional, state and national leaders will be able to track goods in real-time as they move through the smart port, which Hillwood expects to strengthen the supply chain. “AllianceTexas is poised to redefine what it means to be a modern logistics hub,” said Hillwood chairman Ross Perot Jr. “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.”
Approximately 4.2 million trucks move through the BNSF Railway Alliance Intermodal Facility every year, a number Hillwood expects to double by 2035. The smart port project will include the construction of a “smart connected bridge” linking BNSF and Texas 170, which is expected to help with autonomous vehicles. By allowing trucks to circumvent Interstate 35W and Haslet Parkway, the bridge is likely to reduce east and westbound freight traffic. Other additions include a 32-acre lot for shipping containers planned for space between the existing BNSF hub and a site of yet-to-be-built warehouses. A regional network of electric vehicle and hydrogen charging stations will be built to support electric freight vehicles on long and short-haul trips. An independent, renewable energy micro-grid will be added to ensure Alliance’s facilities aren’t impacted by power outages or spikes in electricity demand. The smart port project will also grow the area’s 5G network through new telecommunications infrastructure that could also be used to expand autonomous technology capabilities. Over half of the United States’ freight tonnage moves through Texas.
