Putnam County Barge Port is a port facility and industrial development area located in

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in northeastern Florida and it is the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Mi ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Positioned on the waters of the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

, tenants enjoy access to navigable waters maintained at 40 feet by the Army Corps of Engineers. The area is also accessible by CSX rail line and

US 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with ...

. Management and development of the site is conducted through

Putnam County Port Authority Putnam County Port Authority is a public corporation established to develop and manage port facilities in Putnam County, Florida. Created in 1967 by Florida Law 67-1967, the port district is one of 16 in the Sunshine State. The Port Authority also ...

. The barge port has a wharf. Most of the barge freight is paper products. Major port facilities are located 60 miles downriver in Jacksonville.

Users

Current and former users at Barge Port include: * Apex Metal Fabrication *

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

* Beck Auto Group * Caraustar Industrial & Consumer * DSI Forms Inc, * First Coast Technical College (branch closed in 2019) *

Florida Rock Industries Vulcan Materials Company () is an American company based in Birmingham, Alabama. It is principally engaged in the production, distribution and sale of construction materials. Vulcan is the largest producer of construction materials, primarily gra ...

* Georgia Pacific * Hanson plc * Lion Pool Products * Mitchell Grayson Inc * Newcastle Shipyard LLC * Price Brothers * Prichett Trucking * PDM Bridge * Southwestern Electric * Weststaff

History

In 1970, the Cross Florida Barge Canal was still viewed as viable, with one-third of the project complete. That same year,

completed Barge Port in anticipation of increased development interest. Palatka was seemingly poised to experience maritime growth due to its location on the

and the newly constructed canal system. By 1971, serious ecological and environmental concerns were brought to the attention of the public. The threat of saltwater contamination in the fragile freshwater ecosystems of inland Florida subsequently brought the canal project to an end. Barge Port has managed to thrive in the absences of a Gulf of Mexico route.

References

{{PCFPEI Ports and harbors of the Florida Atlantic coast Industrial parks in the United States Palatka, Florida Buildings and structures in Putnam County, Florida Industrial buildings and structures in Florida Transport infrastructure completed in 1970 Transportation buildings and structures in Putnam County, Florida 1970 establishments in Florida