QUINCY — The Port of Quincy will be expanding its intermodal rail yard. Commission chair Curt Morris said the port has an apparent low bidder for the project, but the contract award is delayed until federal rail officials give final approval for the funding. 

“We should have that (approval) this week, for sure,” Morris said. 

The intermodal facility allows shippers to switch from one kind of transport to another, from trucks to a train or from a train to trucks. Rail lines in the existing facility will be extended to connect with existing lines at Road O Northwest.  

“It actually goes further. But the further is the second phase,” he said.  

Morris said the first phase of construction would double the amount of track at the intermodal facility. 

The contract also includes improvements to the railroad crossing at Road O NW, Morris said. The actual construction of the crossing will be part of the second phase, he said. 

The rail line is inside the Quincy city limits, which means city officials will decide what the warning signs will be at the road crossing. 

“We got the information needed, so we’ll get it designed,” Morris said. 

The port has received federal funding for the first phase, he said. Funding for the second phase is pending.  

The intermodal expansion is part of a larger effort to recruit businesses into Quincy, Morris said, but the transportation, water and power challenges have to be addressed first. At least one company has delayed its planned move to Quincy while the infrastructure work is ongoing. 

Port officials announced in February an agreement with Colusa Indian Energy to build independent electrical generation, and the port is working with the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District to obtain additional water.