Groundbreaking at Houston’s Bayport terminal

Groundbreaking at Houston’s Bayport terminal    The port of Houston will formally start construction on the Bayport terminal Monday during a groundbreaking ceremony.
   Construction of the terminal will involve several phases over 15 to 20 years. Completion of the first phase, including 1,660 feet of the 7,000 feet planned and approximately 65 acres of the final 1,043-acre facility, is targeted for mid-2006.
      The port authority of Houston said 16 contracts totaling more than $180 million will be awarded during the first part of the project.
   Bayport will have enough space for seven ships and a 378-acre container storage yard. It will have a maximum capacity of about 2.3 million TEUs, representing a 200-percent increase over port’s current container handling capacity.