MOBILE, Ala. — A new container terminal at Choctaw Point will open in September, Judith Adams, manager of media relations for the Alabama State Port Authority said.

The Alabama State Port Authority owns and operates the deepwater port facilities for the state in Mobile. A previous economic impact study by the University of South Alabama showed that the terminal will support 310 permanent jobs and generate $612,000 in tax revenues. According to Adams, growth is happening now.

“That little shipyard that is sitting on Mobile Bay may double in size,” she said. “It will impact every community in the Mobile Bay area.”

The growth will impact Spanish Fort by providing jobs, raising property values and enticing more people to move into the community, she said. The Mobile Bay area has had phenomenal and unprecedented growth and investment, Adams said.

“It's just called growth. It is here and it will continue to happen,” Adams said. “We have attracted some quality investors into our community.”

According to Adams, this includes global partners, global industries, high end services and sophisticated companies, which will bring in high end jobs. The transportation infrastructure had to keep pace with the new manufacturing investment in the region, she said, in order to have cargo and services that support the industries.

Adams said that the Port Authority knew the market would be getting bigger, so they have been preparing for expansion to accommodate the growth.

“We knew it would be viable to have lands set aside for the terminals,” she said.

In 2000, the restructured port authority had $100 million set aside from the Alabama Oil and Gas Royalty Fund. It was committed by Alabama legislation and the governor's office to contribute to port expansion. The marine terminal project costs $300 million, Adams said.

With the new rail and marine components, there also comes warehousing, distribution, stuffing and unstuffing and more, she said, and that requires space and employees. Also, Adams said more first and second tier businesses will be coming to this area including distributors, suppliers and trucking.

The Mobile Container Terminal will be leasing the terminal from the Alabama Port Authority. Both have jointly invested in the infrastructure for the container terminal. Mobile Container Terminal LLC, is a joint venture between APM Terminals North American and Terminal Link, a division of CMC CGM, and will provide terminal customers with access to global networks covering all possible trade routes to and from the Port of Mobile, according to Alabama Port Authority officials.

The community economic developers and political leaders wanted to move forward to raise wages and the standard of living, Adams said. According to Adams, International Paper closed its mill eight years ago, and area chemical companies closed, resulting in the loss of manufacturing jobs.

“So, the community had to proactively market the region,” she said. “It was a multipronged approach to preserve the way of life and find sustainability and create jobs to keep our kids in the community.”