Port Tampa Bay approves $36M CEMEX terminal expansion to boost Bay Area's construction material supply

Cemex expands Port Tampa Bay terminal

Port Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest seaport is getting even bigger because the Cemex terminal has expanded and will help bring in more materials for infrastructure projects across the region. FOX 13’s Kylie Jones reports. 

TAMPA, Fla. - An expansion of one of the terminals at Port Tampa Bay will raise the capacity for crucial materials for infrastructure projects around the region.

Port Tampa Bay CEMEX expansion

By the numbers:

The $36 million project will expand the CEMEX aggregates terminal at the port, as demand in all industries at Port Tampa Bay grows.

Port Tampa Bay's CEMEX aggregates terminal expansion is being funded by a $29 million investment from CEMEX and a $7 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Courtesy: CEMEX

The facility brings in mass amounts of rocks, sand and gravel to produce concrete and cement for roads, homes and schools around the Tampa Bay region.

CEMEX supplied materials for the Howard Frankland Bridge project, and it has contributed to other FDOT projects.

"We can offload a full ship of rock, 60,000 tons, in about 20 hours," Jeff Bobolts, the senior vice president of U.S. Aggregates with CEMEX, said. "So, this is one of the fastest off loaders in the state of Florida."

New infrastructure jobs created

Big picture view:

Bobolts says the expansion will allow them to import more materials from around the world.

"Right now, we can import cement," Bobolts said. "We have a ready-mix plant here, but we had no ability to bring rock into the port."

Bay Area leaders say the development will also bring in more jobs.

"That means more people working, more tractor drivers, more truck drivers, more jobs, more economic impact on our taxes," Port Tampa Bay CEO Paul Anderson said.

Regional building demand grows

Why you should care:

The port serves as a critical economic engine and acts as the primary fuel gateway for nearly half of the state.

"We provide almost, probably 70% of the materials for the entire state's road building and improvements," Anderson said.

The expansion is expected to lay the foundation for future growth throughout the Tampa Bay region.

Courtesy: CEMEX

"If you look at FDOT and all of the road work that they're doing, that involves CEMEX," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. "At the airport, we're building a new international terminal. We're going to build runways in the future. That requires concrete."

Unresolved project details

What we don't know:

It's not clear exactly how many specific jobs the expansion will add.