Ironville Intermodal Terminal

Lake Erie Port Manufacturing & Industrial Center

This project involved the redevelopment of an existing brownfield site that had formerly been an old refinery. The work included the construction of approximately two miles of an industrial spur track system off one of Norfolk Southern Railway’s main rail lines, establishment of access and staging areas for trucking operations, unloading facilities for ships arriving from Lake Erie, a maintenance and storage building, and facilities to enable the transfer of materials between multiple transportation modes. All project elements were designed within the parameters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site requirements related to remediation of refinery contamination, as well as guidelines established by grant funding sources.

Phase One

The initial phase consisted of the design and construction of the industrial spur tracks. DGL collected and reviewed all available design calculations and drawings to assess the status of previously designed civil components, including rail infrastructure, storm sewers, ditches, and a water quality pond. For this phase, DGL also designed a split casing pipe to protect the Arc Terminals petroleum line from railroad loading impacts where the spur tracks connected to the main rail line. DGL then coordinated closely with contractors, Arc Terminals, and Norfolk Southern Railway throughout construction.

Phase Two

The second phase involved development of plans to rehabilitate the Lake Erie loading dock to meet vessel berthing requirements. This included evaluation of existing facilities, design of 110-ton and 80-ton rated bollards for mooring lines, dredging of the area in front of the dock to meet minimum depth requirements for loaded open-water vessels, and improvements for truck and equipment access. Additional subcomponents included coordination with Duke Energy (formerly Toledo Edison) to provide power for an unloading conveyor system, preparation of specifications for the conveyor system, structural design of conveyor foundations, and development of the control system. The conveyor system was designed to receive materials from shipboard conveyors, transport them across the Phase One rail infrastructure, and discharge them via a radial stacker for distribution to railcars or trucks.

Phase Three

The third phase provided staging areas for trucks outside the facility during non-operating hours, a security building and entrance checkpoint, railroad crossings to allow truck access over the tracks, and additional rail staging tracks for loading and unloading railcars. Additional provisions were included for spill containment to address potential hazardous material releases. Phase Three also included construction of a 19,000-square-foot warehouse and office building designed for facility management offices and bulk storage. The building incorporated two rail spurs allowing railcars to enter for inspection, maintenance, and loading/unloading operations. It was also designed to accommodate an overhead crane system servicing the entire warehouse. DGL provided specifications to the pre-engineered metal building supplier and completed structural design for the foundations, floor slab, and an inspection pit beneath one of the interior rail tracks.

Phase Four

The fourth phase included coordination and foundation design for a liquefied petroleum gas transfer station. The station was designed to transfer material directly from railcars to trucks to support efficient bulk distribution. This phase also included additional truck drive design, electrical service coordination, and fire protection system enhancements.

Throughout all phases of the project, DGL was responsible for bid document preparation (plans and specifications) in formats acceptable to the funding agencies, bid review and recommendation of award for various packages, shop drawing review, attendance at weekly construction meetings, and assistance in responding to construction-related inquiries. Each phase included varying levels of earthwork, utilities, stormwater management, site layout, fire protection, structural design, and permitting for non-standard applications.

Project Objective: The objective of the project was to provide a multi-modal facility capable of adapting to a variety of changing market conditions.