PRPA Seeks Partners for Development of Southport Complex

October 15, 2014

Officials of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) have released a Request for Expressions of Interest (R.E.I.) for the development of its Southport Terminal Complex, located on the Delaware River in South Philadelphia.

The R.E.I. invites respondents to submit development concepts for the following sites in the Southport Complex: the Southport Marine Terminal (119 acres); the Southport West Terminal (75 acres); and Pier 124 North Berth, a 1,132-foot long finger pier adjacent to the 119-acre site.

As stated in the Introduction of the R.E.I., “By way of this Request for Expressions of Interest (R.E.I.), the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA), an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is seeking interested parties to explore entering into one or more Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for the design, build, finance, operation and maintenance of the three available sites located at the Southport Marine Terminal Complex located in the City of Philadelphia, along the Delaware River, south of the Walt Whitman Bridge.”

The R.E.I. describes in detail all aspects of the three sites comprising Southport, as well as the geographical area surrounding the complex. That area includes substantial highway, rail, and water access, including rail yards serviced by two Class-One railroads (Norfolk Southern and CSX) and a federal navigation channel currently being deepened to 45 feet. Further, a newly-built four lane road connects the Southport sites to Interstate highways I-76 and I-95.

“Southport’s time has finally come, and we look forward to establishing a productive public-private partnership with one or more interested parties to develop and operate these top-notch sites,” said PRPA Chairman Charles G. Kopp, Esq. “With industrial-zoned waterfront land at an absolute premium along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, I know that this substantial acreage, with its many inherent qualities and fine location, will prove a great asset to the right company or companies.”

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Press Release, October 15, 2014