Salt Lake City to gain inland port?

Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert indicated his intent to sign a bill that would allow for an inland port in the northwest quadrant of Salt Lake City, which would be connected to multiple major cities via Class I railway Union Pacific.    Utah’s Senate this week passed legislation to create an inland port authority. A similar bill was approved by the Utah House of Representatives on March 7.
   The inland port would be located north of Route 80 in the northwest quadrant of Salt Lake City.
   The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development said in a press release Thursday that Gov. Gary R. Herbert has indicated his intent to sign the bill in the coming days. An inland port is “a large economic development opportunity for Salt Lake City and the state” and would “act as a logistics center for the entire Western U.S. and attract more international companies to relocate to Utah,” the office said.
   Primary activities at the inland port would include unloading and loading shipping containers, value-added manufacturing, repackaging items, and shipping them. The port would also be equipped with a customs office that will allow international customers to clear their products through customs prior to being processed and distributed.
   Class I railway Union Pacific would connect the inland port with Seattle, Portland, Oakland and Los Angeles, Salt Lake County said.
   An assessment of the proposed inland port by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah last year found, “Salt Lake City’s northwest quadrant has emerged as a regional supply chain hub. That emergence is a result of a greatly diverse economy, large manufacturing base, and proximity to the regional population. The Mountain States and some coastal markets are accessible from Salt Lake City within the allowable National Transportation Safety Board window for a single driver shift.”
   Once the governor signs the legislation, an 11-member board will be selected with representatives from Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake International Airport, Salt Lake County, West Valley City, the Utah Department of Transportation, the Governor, Legislature and the business community. A full-time executive director will also be hired.
   House Democrats opposed the inland port earlier this month, saying the board “would be given powers to make critical land-use decisions for establishing the inland port and a foreign trade zone” and “would override Salt Lake City zoning decisions.”