CenterPoint Intermodal Center is an
intermodal freight
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...
terminal located in
Elwood, Illinois
Elwood is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,279 at the 2010 United States Census.
Geography
Elwood is located at (41.413615, -88.110438). The nearest major highways are Interstate 80 to the north and Interst ...
. It is considered the largest
inland port
An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port.
Examples
The United States Army Corps of Engineers pub ...
in North America.
The Intermodal Center includes a 785-acre
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
complex just south of Joliet and a 770-acre
BNSF Railway complex further to the southwest. The facility's location was formerly part of the
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (JOAAP, formerly known as the Joliet Arsenal) was a United States Army arsenal located in Will County, Illinois, near Elwood, Illinois, south of Joliet, Illinois. Opened in 1940 during World War II, the facility consis ...
. Construction of the Intermodal Center began as part of the Joliet Arsenal redevelopment effort after 2000. The village of Elwood supported this with $150 million of
TIF funding.
Local concerns
As the freight traffic from Centerpoint grew, neighboring communities began to complain of safety, traffic and noise impacts. In 2014 the Village of Elwood attempted to enforce designated truck routes, but Centerpoint fought this in court.
Elwood has also sued Centerpoint regarding the use of their TIF funds, claiming that the project has generated less revenue and fewer jobs than promised. Mayor Bill Offerman explained, "Instead of a vibrant retail base, good-paying jobs and needed tax dollars that it promised, CenterPoint has given us a barrage of heavy truck traffic that puts residents in harm's way, low-paying warehouse jobs that make it impossible for middle-class families to live on and a mere fraction of the revenue it touted (the village) would receive in return."
References
Container terminals
Rail infrastructure in Illinois
{{US-rail-transport-bio-stub